Cambodia Appeals to Francophone Nations about Thai Illegal Border Actions

PHNOM PENH, July 8, 2026 – Cambodia has laid out its case before the Parliamentary Assembly of the Francophonie (APF), detailing a pattern of border violations by Thailand and urging the international community to uphold the fundamental principles of international law and territorial integrity.

Speaking at the APF executive committee meeting in Cameroon on July 7, the First Vice President of the Cambodian Senate and President of the Cambodian National Group of the APF delivered a forceful intervention, expressing gratitude for the APF’s solidarity and the unanimous resolution adopted in Siem Reap in May, which reaffirmed respect for Cambodia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity .

The parliamentarian told the assembly that while Cambodia has fully honored the ceasefire agreement of December 27, 2025, Thai forces have systematically violated its commitments. Since the day after the ceasefire took effect, Thai forces have engaged in persistent unilateral actions on Cambodian soil—clearing land, installing barbed wire and shipping containers, encircling civilian villages, reinforcing military positions, building permanent infrastructure, and damaging cultural and religious heritage sites . These actions have continued despite repeated formal protests from Cambodia .

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He stressed that these actions directly contravene Article 5 of the 2000 Memorandum of Understanding, the de-escalation commitments of the December 2025 Joint Statement, and the legal framework established by the 1904 and 1907 treaties, as affirmed by the International Court of Justice in 1962 and 2013 . By creating "fait accompli," Thailand is undermining the very conditions for a peaceful, just, and sustainable resolution .

He also condemned Thailand's unilateral termination of the 2001 Memorandum of Understanding on overlapping maritime claims. Cambodia has initiated a conciliation procedure under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)—a right under international law—but this has been used as a pretext to suspend Joint Boundary Commission (JBC) meetings, effectively paralyzing bilateral cooperation .

As of early July, nearly 21,000 Cambodian citizens remain unable to return to their homes and villages, either because they were destroyed or continue to be occupied by the Thai military .

Source: ព្រឹទ្ធសភាកម្ពុជា Senate of Cambodia


Reported by The Khmer Daily Network