SCMP: Cambodia, Thailand Set Naval Hotline as UN-Backed Talks Continue, But Ruling Not Binding

PHNOM PENH, Oct. 20, 2026: Cambodia and Thailand have agreed to establish a hotline between their navy commanders and to moderate their public statements, as UN-backed talks continue over disputed waters in the Gulf of Thailand, according to the South China Morning Post.

The agreement was reached during a second round of conciliation talks at The Hague last week. The Permanent Court of Arbitration said both sides demonstrated good faith and committed to confidence-building measures.

Key commitments

Both countries agreed to handle public statements in a way that creates room for constructive engagement rather than pressuring the other side. They also pledged to avoid comments that could inflame public opinion or raise tensions, and to counter misinformation that could weaken the process.

A naval hotline will allow commanders to report and manage incidents at sea quickly, preventing misunderstandings.

Why it matters

The neighbours have disputed their 800-kilometre land border for decades. Clashes last year killed scores and disrupted billions of dollars in trade. A December ceasefire holds, but relations remain tense.

Focus has now moved to the Gulf seabed, believed to hold oil and gas reserves worth US$300 billion. Thailand ended a bilateral channel in May, leading Cambodia to seek UNCLOS conciliation. Talks began in Singapore in September and continued in The Hague last week over a 27,000-square-kilometre area.


About the process

The five-member commission is chaired by Australian lawyer and diplomat Katrina Cooper. The process is not legally binding — only one other UNCLOS conciliation case has been held, between East Timor and Australia in 2016, and it took nearly two years.

Thailand's Foreign Ministry said the measures would foster conditions for progress, while Cambodia's Foreign Ministry reaffirmed support for the process it initiated.

Source: South China Morning Post


Reported by The Khmer Daily Network