Thailand’s MOUs
Are They Appropriate for a Referendum?
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.54157/tls.284746Keywords:
Referendum, MOUs, Nationalism, CambodiaAbstract
The current Thai government has stated its intention to have the public vote on whether two Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) between Thailand and Cambodia should be unilaterally revoked. The MOUs merely set forth an agreed upon “process” by which boundary discussions should be conducted concerning their land border (MoU 43) and their maritime border in the Gulf of Thailand (MoU 44). However, the plan to hold a referendum about them also appears to be an effort to stir nationalistic sentiment in favor of the government at a time of recent military and civilian clashes along the land border. This Commentary reviews the current border conflict that began on 13 February 2025 with an incident at the Ta Muen Thom temple. It then details the provisions of the MOUs, particularly MoU 43 regarding the land boundary, and highlights the benefits of keeping it. Along with others, the author concludes that the public not only is ill prepared to vote wisely on such a highly technical matter involving foreign relations, but that such a significant decision should only be taken by the government or parliament.
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