Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra
Thailand and Cambodia eye oil and gas detente
Asian neighbours seek resolution on territorial dispute for hydrocarbons development that has spanned decades
The governments of Thailand and Cambodia are attempting to resolve a territorial dispute dating back to colonial times to allow development of oil and gas resources in the waters around the island of Koh Kood in the Gulf of Thailand. The island was granted to Thailand under a treaty signed in 1907 between colonial France and Siam, as Thailand was then called. The maritime border between the countries, however, was not clearly defined, and Cambodia argues the treaty’s wording implies the southern part of the island belongs to Cambodia. The existence of oil and gas in the disputed waters was established in the 1970s. The two countries in 2001 signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on the
Also in this section
4 March 2026
The US president has repeatedly promised to lower gasoline prices, but this ambition conflicts with his parallel aim to increase drilling and could be upended by his war against Iran
4 March 2026
With the Strait of Hormuz effectively closed following US-Israel strikes and Iran’s retaliatory escalation, Fujairah has become the region’s critical pressure release valve—and is now under serious threat
3 March 2026
The killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei in US–Israeli strikes marks the most serious escalation in the region in decades and a bigger potential threat to the oil market than the start of the Russia-Ukraine crisis
2 March 2026
A potential blockade of the Strait of Hormuz following the escalating US-Iran conflict risks disrupting Qatari LNG exports that underpin global gas markets, exposing Asia and other markets to sharp price spikes, cargo shortages and renewed reliance on dirtier fuels
