On September 30, Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said that the government wanted to consult the public on canceling two controversial memorandums of understanding (MOUs) with Cambodia regarding border demarcation and maritime claims.
The two documents include MOU43 on on the demarcation of land borders signed in 2000 and MOU44 on overlapping claims on the continental shelf signed in 2001.
For his part, Mr. Charnvirakul expressed his support for the cancellation, but affirmed that people should consult about this first.
Mr. Anutin noted that the cabinet has the right to unilaterally cancel, but the government wants the people to decide because "This is not a matter of shirking responsibility, but a matter of respecting the people's voice".
The Thai Prime Minister further explained that the two agreements signed more than 20 years ago cannot prevent border clashes or resolve disputes. "If it is profitable, keep it, if not, it should be canceled" - Mr. Anutin said.
However, the government will wait for the House special committee to complete the review before conducting the bidding process.
Deputy Prime Minister Borwornsak Uwanno said that the government plans to combine the MOU popular consultation with the consultation on constitutional amendments, and organize it with the upcoming general election.
Uwanno stressed that this would save the budget and encourage increased turnout. A popular consultation usually takes about 6 billion baht ($185.4 million) to hold.
Accordingly, people will receive 4 votes: Elect a regional lawmaker, elect a party list lawmaker, propose to amend the constitution and propose a MOU. Previously, the government will coordinate with the Election Committee and the Ministry of Home Affairs to launch a campaign to raise awareness among voters.
