The Cambodia

  Thailand says it is not closing the Gulf of Thailand, citing UNCLOS and freedom of navigation, while tightening controls on Thai vessels to curb supplies to Cambodia Thailand’s Foreign Ministry and the Royal Thai Navy have insisted there is no move to “close” the Gulf of Thailand, saying Bangkok remains committed to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and freedom of navigation, while stepping up controls on Thai-flagged vessels to prevent the transport of strategic supplies into Cambodia. Speaking at the Joint Press Centre on the Thailand–Cambodia Border Situation on Monday, December 15, 2025, Foreign Ministry deputy spokesperson Maratee Nalita Andamo said Thailand does not want to escalate tensions and that its actions are aimed solely at protecting sovereignty and reducing threats. She said Thailand is acting in line with humanitarian principles and international law, stressing UNCLOS (1982) and the need to preserve freedom of navigation so as not to disrupt trade,...

  Thai-MECC says it has not shut sea routes in the Gulf of Thailand to foreign vessels, but has barred Thai boats from entering Cambodian waters and is seeking NSC backing to tighten measures against oil and weapons smuggling. The Thai Maritime Enforcement Command Center (Thai-MECC) insisted on Tuesday that it had not taken action to close sea routes in the Gulf of Thailand to foreign vessels. Royal Thai Navy chief of staff Admiral Thadavuth Thadpithakkul, who is also secretary-general of Thai-MECC, said the agency had only prohibited Thai vessels and Thai fishing boats from entering Cambodia’s territorial waters, as the area was considered dangerous for Thai boats. Thai-MECC is the central agency responsible for safeguarding Thailand’s national maritime interests. Its primary goal is to co-ordinate the operations of various government agencies involved in maritime security and the suppression of maritime threats under a single command post. Thai-MECC’s mandate covers a wide range ...