Thailand to Learn UNCLOS Conciliation Panel Chair on August 14
Thailand will learn the name of a conciliation panel chairman for a maritime dispute with Cambodia on August 14, with the first committee meeting scheduled for September in either The Hague, Paris, Singapore, or Vietnam.
At a government house briefing on August 11, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sihsaket Poungketkeaw provided an update on the selection of a chairman for the compulsory conciliation panel under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). One chairman will be selected on August 14 from a list of approximately ten qualified candidates. Thailand and Cambodia each reviewed the candidates and submitted their preferred names back to the UN; the final selection will be made from those jointly approved nominations.
The first conciliation committee meeting is scheduled for September, with venue options including offices of maritime law in multiple zones: The Hague in the Netherlands and Paris in France for the European zone, and Singapore and Vietnam for Asia. The UN provided candidates from European, Asian, and Latin American regions selected based on qualifications.
Regarding Thailand's response to the human rights report by Tom Andrews on the Thai-Cambodian border, Sihsaket said Thailand has submitted rebuttals to the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC). The report will next be considered by UNHRC, where Thailand will use the forum to clarify its position and address concerns. When asked whether the report would disadvantage Thailand internationally, Sihsaket said no, noting that such reports generate diverse opinions among countries, and he is confident many nations will recognize that Thailand's conduct falls within appropriate bounds.
