BANGKOK — 23 April 2026, Thailand’s prime minister said the National Security Council (NSC) has approved plans to revoke a maritime memorandum of understanding with Cambodia and replace it with international law, while also appointing a new head of southern peace talks.
Speaking at Government House at 11:10 on 23 April, Prime Minister and Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said the NSC had discussed management of the southern border provinces and agreed to form a new peace dialogue panel to replace the previous one whose term expired under the last administration.
Thanat Suwannanon, director of the National Intelligence Agency, has been appointed to chair the new panel, he said.
Anutin added that the Foreign Ministry had proposed revoking the 2001 MOU 44 to the NSC, with the matter to be forwarded to the cabinet for approval. He said the process would be expedited, though no timeline was given.
The government intends to replace the agreement with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), he said.
Anutin said the cabinet has the authority to revoke MOU 44 unilaterally and would not need to formally notify Cambodia. He added that a separate agreement, MOU 43, remains unchanged and had not been discussed.
