Trat Province (Thailand) has been at the centre of a heated diplomatic and political debate regarding the 2001 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Thailand and Cambodia.
Geographic Profile
- Location: It is the easternmost province of Thailand, situated along the Gulf of Thailand.
- Borders: It shares a land border with Cambodia to the east (specifically the Cardamom Mountains range).
- Key Islands: The province includes an archipelago of over 50 islands; the most significant are Koh Chang (Thailand’s second largest island) and Koh Kood (the focus of the current dispute).
- History: Trat was briefly occupied by France (1904–1907) before being returned to Siam (Thailand) in exchange for territories in western Cambodia (Battambang, Siem Reap) under the Franco-Siamese Treaty of 1907.
2. The Conflict: Overlapping Claims Area (OCA)
- The Dispute: Thailand and Cambodia have an Overlapping Claims Area (OCA) of approximately 26,000 sq. km in the Gulf of Thailand, rich in hydrocarbon resources.
3. The Conflict: Overlapping Claims Area (OCA)
- The Dispute: Thailand and Cambodia have an Overlapping Claims Area (OCA) of approximately 26,000 sq. km in the Gulf of Thailand, rich in hydrocarbon resources.
- The 2001 MOU: Signed to provide a framework for negotiations, it mandates that delimitating the maritime border and sharing resources (Joint Development Area) must be discussed simultaneously as an “indivisible package”.
- The Koh Kood Controversy:
- Cambodia’s continental shelf claim (made in 1972) draws a line that cuts through Koh Kood island.
- Official Stance: The Thai government maintains that the 1907 Treaty explicitly confirms Koh Kood belongs to Thailand, and the MOU is solely a mechanism to resolve the maritime boundary, not a cession of territory.
Q. With respect to the geography of Trat Province, consider the following statements:
1. It is the easternmost province of Thailand, situated along the Gulf of Thailand.
2 The Cardamom Mountain range forms its land boundary with Cambodia.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
Answer: C
Explanation:
Statement 1 is correct: Trat is identified as the easternmost province of Thailand, possessing a coastline along the Gulf of Thailand.
Statement 2 is correct: The province shares a border with Cambodia to the east, specifically demarcated by the Cardamom Mountains range.
