Talks with Cambodia renew hope for deal on overlapping claims area in gulf, electricity cooperation on the cards [Thailand does not want to talk about withdrawing troops from Preah Vihear, but wants to get more Cambodia territory on the sea] កម្ពុជា-ថៃ​គ្រោង​ពិភាក្សា​បន្ត​អំពី​តំបន់​ដែន​សមុទ្រ​ត្រួត​ស៊ីគ្នា

Defense Minister Tea Banh, right, greets Thai General Tanasak Patimapragorn prior to a meeting at the Ministry of Defense in Phnom Penh on Monday. (Siv Channa/The Cambodia Daily)

By Wartcharapong Thongrung

The Nation September 3, 2014

The Energy Ministry will hold discussions with Cambodia about cooperation in electricity and the overlapping petroleum-claims area in the Gulf of Thailand during the current official visit to Phnom Penh by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Tanasak Patimapragorn.

Kurujit Nakornthap, director-general of the Mineral Fuels Department of the Energy Ministry, who is part of the Thai delegation, said the department hoped that after this visit, the Foreign Affairs Ministry would appoint a committee to resume negotiations with Cambodia on the overlapping claims area for the mutual benefit of the two nations as soon as possible. This is because it will take no less than 10 years to produce petroleum from the area once a deal is signed.

The area is believed to have potential given its proximity to the existing petroleum exploration and production fields in the gulf, he said.

"This visit is regarded as opening a new era for restarting the talks about the overlapping claims area, which have been delayed for a long time," said the official. 

If a deal is reached, the Thailand-Cambodia overlapping claims area is likely to contribute significantly to Thailand's petroleum reserves, which are estimated to last for only another seven years, he said.

Meanwhile, regarding the government's order for petroleum concessionaires to cease crude-oil exports, which total 20,000 barrels per day, Kurujit said his department actually sent the request to petroleum producers three or four months ago, and there were no crude-oil exports last month. Chevron Exploration and Production Thailand, which is a major crude-oil producer, agreed to cooperate until there is a change in the government's order, he said.

A source from the Ministry of Energy said the negotiations with Cambodia on the overlapping claims area that covers 26,000 square kilometres would follow the guidelines of a memorandum of understanding signed in 2010 to divide negotiations into two parts. The upper area will be taken care of by military, security, and Foreign Ministry officials and the lower part will be negotiated under the Joint Development Area concept that was used successfully between Thailand and Malaysia in the past.

The prospects are to help Thailand increase its natural-gas reserves by 30 per cent and extend the production in the Gulf of Thailand by about 10 years. 

Cambodia recently awarded a concession to Total of France to explore for petroleum in the overlapping claims area.

RFA - ភាគី​ថៃ​គ្រោង​នឹង​បង្កើត​គណៈកម្មាធិការ​មួយ​ដើម្បី​ចរចា​ជាមួយ​ភាគី​កម្ពុជា​ឡើង​វិញ ស្ដី​អំពី​កិច្ច​សហប្រតិបត្តិការ​ពាណិជ្ជកម្ម​ក្នុង​តំបន់​ដែន​សមុទ្រ​ត្រួត​គ្នា​នៃ​ប្រទេស​ទាំង​ពីរ។

គម្រោង​ការ​បង្កើត​គណៈកម្មាធិការ​នេះ ធ្វើ​ឡើង​បន្ទាប់​ពី​ទស្សនកិច្ច​របស់​លោក​មេទ័ព​ថ្មី​របស់​ថៃ គឺ​លោក តាណាសក្តិ ប៉ាទីម៉ាប្រាកន (Natasak Patimapragorn) នៅ​កម្ពុជា កាល​ពី​ថ្ងៃ​ទី​១ ​កញ្ញា។

កាសែត​ថៃ ឌឹ ណេសិន (The Nation) ផ្សាយ​ថ្ងៃ​ទី​៣ កញ្ញា ដោយ​ស្រង់​សម្ដី​មន្ត្រី​ក្រសួង​ថាមពល​ថៃ លោក គួរួជិត ណាឃនថេប (Kurujit Nakornthap) ថា ថៃ​គ្រោង​បង្កើត​គណៈកម្មាធិការ​នេះ​ឲ្យ​បាន​ឆាប់​ដែល​អាច​ធ្វើ​ទៅ​បាន ដើម្បី​ចរចា​ជា​មួយ​ភាគី​កម្ពុជា ក្នុង​កិច្ច​សហការ​ដើម្បី​ផល​ប្រយោជន៍​នៃ​ប្រទេស​ទាំង​ពីរ​លើ​វិស័យ​អគ្គិសនី និង​ប្រេងកាត​ក្នុង​តំបន់​ត្រួត​ស៊ីគ្នា​លើ​ផ្ទៃ​សមុទ្រ​ដែល​មាន​ទំហំ ២៦.០០០​គីឡូ​ម៉ែត្រក្រឡា។

កាសែត​ថៃ ដដែល​បន្ត​ថា ការ​ចរចា​នេះ​នឹង​អនុលោម​ទៅ​តាម​អនុស្សរណៈ​យោគយល់​គ្នា​រវាង​ភាគី​ទាំង​ពីរ​ដែល​បាន​ចុះ​ហត្ថលេខា​កាល​ពី​ឆ្នាំ​២០១០៕