Could Koh Kood Become A Dispute Between Thailand and Cambodia?

A popular holiday hotspot in Thailand has become embroiled in an old debate in recent months.

Koh Kood, or Koh Kut, is an island situated in the Gulf of Thailand.

But Cambodian activists have recently upped their protests, saying that part of the island and its maritime boundaries belong to Cambodia.

After a two-hour ferry ride from Koh Chang, the golden buddha at Wat Ao Salat temple is the most notable sight arriving at Koh Kood island. Below it, the corrugated shacks that make up the rustic ferry port are a reminder of the islands fishing village origins. But as dozens of western tourists disembark, it shows that today Koh Kood is fast becoming a hotspot for visitors, with many luxury hotels strategically placed with a backdrop of the island's stunning beaches.

Koh Kood's beaches has made it a drawcard for tourists. Image: Tommy Walker

To the majority, the island feels very much Thai, and a world away from being at the centre of any sort of disagreement.

But the fact is, Koh Kood is located in a 27,000 square-kilometre overlapping claims area, between Thailand and Cambodia.

In 1904, France, the colonial power in Indochina, ceded Koh Kood to Thailand, or what was then known as Siam. The border lines between Thailand and French-ruled Indochina were then later settled with the Franco-Siamese Treaty 1907. But the maritime borders were not made clear.

In 1972, Cambodia made claims that their maritime boundaries in the treaty included the southern part of Koh Kood. Thailand laid its counter claims in 1973.

Today, Koh Kood legally belongs to Thailand, which is internationally recognized under the Geneva Convention of 1958 and the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea of 1982.

“Cambodia’s claim was rooted in a different interpretation of the said treaty. It should be noted the 1907 Treaty, like other treaties of its time, intended to address land, not maritime, boundaries. This is why the Cambodian interpretation is controversial,” said Tita Sanglee, an independent Thai analyst and an associate fellow at the ISEAS Institute.

The Thailand-Cambodia Memorandum of Understanding, commonly known as MOU 44, was signed in 2001, and acts as a framework for negotiations and discussions between the two countries over resources and boundaries, according to the Thai government.

But the agreement has Thai nationalists fearful the MOU could see territory lost to Cambodia and have called for it to be scrapped.

Koh Kood Police Station. Image: Tommy Walker

Recent concerns were amplified when misleading posts on TikTok in March showed Thailand transporting military vehicles for exercises around Koh Kood. The video turned out to be fake, as did other rumours claiming Thai and Cambodian military forces had been involved in a skirmish.

But despite that, the discussion among Thailand and Cambodia activists online has not gone away. And officials on the island were not forthcoming on the matter.

I arrived at the Koh Kood District Ministry and tried to get an interview with Mr Pairat Soisaeng, the Koh Kood District Minister, but he declined to see me.

One male police officer at the Koh Kood Police Station did speak to me, even though he wanted to stay anonymous.

“No one dared to give an opinion on this matter especially people who are government officials. It’s other Thai people who have never been to the island [who] don’t know the truth, listen to news on social media, and make up [their] own mind. On Koh Kood there are several military and police units stationed on the island but villagers on the island live normally and are not worried,” he said.

Koh Kood District Office. Image: Tommy Walker

Locals living on the island seemed unfazed by any potential dispute or threat.

Phawin Phiophang Rosa, who works at Wave-F Homestay on the island, says Cambodia’s historic claims are not a concern.

“It doesn’t worry me because the information on the social media posts are false. My mom spends time on TikTok [and was] concerned for my safety because she saw some false videos showing armies on the island,” she said.

“This is not a topic that people on Koh Kood care to talk about. Only people who don’t live [here] are [worried] about it as they are not here to see how it actually is.”

Elsewhere though, that’s not the case. For advocates in Cambodia, the claims over Koh Kood remain a sensitive issue.

Um Sam An, a former lawmaker for Cambodia’s opposition National Rescue Party has called for the Cambodian government to take the case of Koh Kood to international courts.

“Mr Hun Manet must state that part of Koh Kut belongs to Cambodia. Manet should send a diplomat to Thailand and demand to place the Cambodian administration and police on Koh Kut like Thailand,” he wrote on Facebook in January.

Um Sam An's Facebook post calling for Cambodia to take the case of Koh Kood to international courts.

Overseas Cambodians living in South Korea and Japan have also protested for Koh Kood’s status to be referred to the International Court of Justice in recent weeks.

Thailand’s defence minister Phumtham Wechayachai has recently downplayed these rallies, reaffirming that Koh Kood’s sovereignty belongs to Thailand.

Despite nationalism playing a part, the growing demand for energy is another factor to consider. It is estimated that Koh Kood is sitting on underwater natural resources such as billions of dollars’ worth of natural gas reserves.

“The dispute manifesting itself today is because the Thai and Cambodian governments both expressed peak political will to resume maritime boundary talks. Both sides want to utilise untapped fuel fields as they face rising import costs for energy,” Tita said.

The Petroleum Institute of Thailand has reportedly shown interest in searching for gas around the island. But Dow Naranthaj, the assistant to PTIT executive director Kurujit Nakornthap, declined to discuss the issue when contacted by phone.

And the energy links to the island don’t stop there. Thailand’s political party, the Thai Smart Party, recently proposed producing clean energy off Koh Kood that would help be a buffer of peace between the two countries.

Despite Cambodia's claims, residents of Koh Kood aren't overly concerned. Image: Tommy Walker

Speaking at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Thailand in January, leader Kiattipoom Siriphant said their vision is to construct green electricity generation facilities to power Koh Kood and boost international investment in energy projects that would benefit both Thailand and Cambodia.

Although the MOU agreement may facilitate talks between the two countries, analyst Tita says the outcome will likely be decided through politics because Thai prime minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra and Cambodian prime minister Hun Manet enjoy good relations and are successors to their respective fathers – Thaksin Shinawatra and Hun Sen - who hold a close relationship.

“This has led to scepticism about why the talks seem to be moving so quickly and whether conflicts of interests could be a factor,” she said. “If the Cambodian government accepts that Koh Kood belongs to Thailand, it’s going to have to deal with angry nationalists at home."

"But if any part of Koh Kood’s sovereignty is compromised, Thais won’t stay still,” she added.

Banner image: Koh Kood, photo by Tommy Walker

Asia Media Centre