The recent move of Thailand and Cambodia in agreeing to reopen talks on an overlapping claims area (OCA) in the Gulf of Thailand is a good sign for the energy security of both countries amid the global energy crisis. However, such negotiations won’t be successful if the two countries fail to learn from the lessons of the past. The OCA overlaps the Cambodian and Thai borders in the gulf and has been a point of contention since the early 1970s. A memorandum of understanding to jointly explore the OCA — covering some 26,000 square kilometres — was signed in 2001. It was also looking to demarcate …