Monitoring could help restore ties

'Outdated' deals fail to prevent clashes

- JUTAMAS TADTHIEMROM

A full return to the stability once enjoyed between Thailand and Cambodia may be difficult to envision, yet disengagement or open confrontation would only deepen divisions, experts say.

This was the central message at “The Horizon Ahead: The Role of International Law in Shaping Thai-Cambodian Relations”, a forum held last week at Thammasat University, where scholars urged measures backed by stronger and more transparent monitoring mechanisms as one way forward.

Assoc Prof Jaruprapa Rakpong, a lecturer in international economic law at Thammasat, said economic tensions reflect the deterioration in bilateral relations.

For years, Thailand enjoyed a dominant trade surplus with Cambodia at a ratio of 4.5:1. That advantage has weakened, not due to competitiveness alone, but because preferential trade schemes such as the Generalised System of Preferences (GSP) have been withdrawn.

The biggest setback came in 2020, when the EU suspended its GSP for Cambodia over political rights concerns.

She said using trade as a weapon harms civilians as much as governments. While sanctions and trade bans may exert pressure, they often amplify humanitarian suffering.

She recommended engaging countries that still grant GSP privileges to Cambodia as intermediaries to explore more constructive economic solutions.