Cambodia Says It’s Ready as Thai Navy Eyes Gulf Supply Disruptions

 

 

This photo shows daily activities at the Sihanoukville Autonomous Port, Preah Sihanouk province. Photo: Sihanoukville Autonomous Port/Facebook 

 

By:Meng Seavmey

December 15, 2025, 12:20 PM

PHNOM PENH — Cambodia has sought to project confidence and preparedness after reports that the Thai Navy is considering measures that could disrupt fuel and strategic goods shipments to Cambodia through the Gulf of Thailand, a move analysts warn would raise serious legal and regional concerns.

According to a December 14 report by Khaosod, the Thai Navy said it would submit a proposal to Thailand’s National Security Council on December 15 that includes suspending fuel and strategic goods exports to Cambodia, intensifying monitoring of Cambodian commercial vessels, and designating waters near Cambodian ports as high-risk zones, citing alleged indiscriminate fire from Cambodia.

While the Navy reportedly insisted that the plan would not amount to a formal blockade of the Gulf of Thailand, Cambodian officials dismissed the proposal as ineffective and said alternative supply routes are already in place.

Phan Rim, spokesperson for Cambodia’s Ministry of Public Works and Transport, said the country’s logistics networks would not be disrupted, stressing that contingency planning had been completed well in advance.

“Cambodia is not unprepared,” Rim said. “The government has already assessed multiple scenarios and put in place response mechanisms to ensure supply continuity in all circumstances.”

He added that Cambodia maintains a range of coordinated maritime and inland supply routes that comply with international law and safeguard the country’s economic independence.

“Cambodia has diversified waterway routes with sufficient capacity to guarantee sovereign control and operational continuity under international legal frameworks,” Rim said.

Sam Suen, a Phnom Penh-based policy analyst and researcher at the Royal Academy of Cambodia, said the government’s early planning was critical to preventing supply shocks, particularly as fighting along the border shows no sign of easing.

He warned that the Thai proposal was likely to gain traction domestically, given the political and military dynamics in Bangkok.

“This scenario is plausible because the focus appears to be on coercive measures rather than diplomatic solutions,” Sam Suen said. “Thailand has increasingly sidelined peaceful international mechanisms, which raises the risk of prolonged disruption.”

He also stressed that any unilateral attempt to restrict access in the Gulf of Thailand would raise serious legal questions under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

“The Gulf is not an area that any single state can control at will,” he said. “Thailand must clearly distinguish between its territorial waters, Cambodia’s and Vietnam’s territorial seas, and international waters. Failure to do so would constitute a violation of UNCLOS.”

Sam Suen called on the international community to closely monitor any implementation of the proposal should it receive official approval, warning that unchecked actions could set a destabilizing precedent in regional waters.

He also urged Cambodia to formally notify the United Nations Security Council and to engage international maritime law experts to assess territorial boundaries and navigational rights in the affected areas.

“Legal clarity and international oversight are essential,” he said. “This is not only a bilateral issue but one that affects regional stability and freedom of navigation.”