Every year thousands of tourists visit the island of Koh Kood, located in the Gulf of Thailand. Thailand’s fourth-largest island may not be as popular with foreign tourists as Phuket or Koh Samui, but its relevance is growing – and not just because it is now at the center of an international controversy.
It is believed that the island sits on top of vast gas and oil reserves. Its exploitation has been halted due to Cambodia claiming parts of it, but now, with increasing demand for energy in both Asian countries, the conflict is being escalated.
However, the roots of the dispute reach back to the colonial era.
Cambodia’s claim ‘controversial’
In the early 1900s, France ruled the region known as Indochina, which included several of its colonies including present-day Cambodia. In 1904, Indochina ceded Koh Kood to Thailand, then known as Siam. The border was later settled with the Franco-Siamese Treaty of 1907.
By 1972, Indochina was over and Cambodia claimed that their side of the treaty’s maritime boundaries included the southern part of the island. Thailand disagrees and says that all of Koh Kood is theirs.
Tita Sangli, an independent analyst in Thailand, says the definition of Cambodia’s borders within the treaty is controversial.
“Cambodia’s claim was rooted in a different interpretation of the said treaty. It should be noted that the 1907 treaty, like other treaties of its time, was intended to address land, not maritime boundaries. That is why The Cambodian interpretation is controversial,” she says. Told DW.
In 2001, the government of Thailand reached a memorandum of understanding on overlapping claims, in which then-Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra discussed sharing benefits from Koh Kood’s energy resources with Cambodia’s Hun Sen.
The ruling families are too close for comfort
This willingness to compromise set off alarm bells among conservative politicians in Bangkok. Thai nationalists were angered by Thaksin’s offer to Cambodia, insisting that Thailand should not give any land or resources to its neighbor.
“The dispute is manifesting itself today as the Thai and Cambodian governments, for the first time in forever, both expressed extreme politics, wanting to restart maritime boundary talks. Both sides want to use untapped fuel fields as they seek energy are facing rising import costs,” Tita said.
In 2025, Thailand is ruled by Patongtarn Shinawatra, the daughter of Thaksin Shinawatra. Cambodia is ruled by Hun Sen’s son Hun Manet. Personal ties between the ruling families appear to be strong, and for many Thai nationalists, this is a cause for concern.
“What is of concern to many Thais is the close personal relationship between the current Thai and Cambodian leadership. This has raised doubts about why negotiations are moving so quickly and whether conflicts of interest are a factor. Maybe. There are many questions that have not been resolved, including the status of Koh Kood, as per international standards, it belongs to Thailand,” she said.
No protection for workers
The two governments appear to be cooperating well in what their critics call international repression – activists and government critics fleeing across the border find no refuge in Cambodia and Thailand.
In November, Thailand deported six Cambodian activists, most of whom were recognized as refugees under the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). He is accused of treason for criticizing the Cambodian government.
A tricky balance in a highly charged controversy
But the history of relations between the two countries is long and mixed, and Mark S., associate professor of peace and conflict studies at Kansai Gaidai University in Japan. Kogan warned that “the question of sovereignty” is always at the heart of the conflict between Bangkok and Phnom. Penh.
“Territorial disputes have a long history with Thai nationalists,” he said, and it remains a highly debated issue “both outside and within the government.”
The Thai government has so far downplayed differences with the Cambodian regime over Koh Kood, but both sides have questions that remain unanswered.
Tita believes there is a good balance in the game.
“It’s a difficult situation,” she said. “If the Cambodian government accepts that Koh Kood belongs to Thailand, it will have to deal with angry nationalists at home. But if any part of Koh Kood’s sovereignty is compromised, the Thais will not remain calm. I personally “I anticipate a deadlock.”
Edited by: Darko Janjevic
