National
• 2 hours ago• Lim_Rothanaksambath
Cambodia Urges UNHCR Action as 20,000 Displaced Citizens Remain Unable to Return
PHNOM PENH — Oct. 14, 2026: More than 20,000 Cambodians are still unable to return home because of the continued occupation of Cambodian territory by Thai armed forces, Cambodia has told UNHCR, calling for urgent action.
H.E. Ambassador Ke Sovann, Cambodia's Permanent Representative to the UN Office at Geneva, made the statement during the General Debate of the 77th Session of the UNHCR Executive Committee on Oct. 13, 2026.
He reaffirmed Cambodia's commitment to international refugee protection and cooperation with UNHCR as a State Party to the 1951 Refugee Convention and its 1967 Protocol.
The Ambassador said the occupation and the continued destruction of Cambodian property by Thai armed forces violate Cambodia's sovereignty and territorial integrity and contradict the UN Charter.
Photo: Permanent Mission of the Kingdom of Cambodia to the UN Office at Geneva
He called for the full and good-faith implementation of the Kuala Lumpur Joint Declaration of Oct. 26, 2025, and the Joint Statement of Dec. 27, 2025, with priority on the safe and dignified return of displaced Cambodians.
Ambassador Ke Sovann urged UNHCR, working closely with the Royal Government and other UN agencies, to support protection and humanitarian efforts for displaced Cambodians and to help secure durable solutions. He said commitments to peace and dialogue must be matched by concrete action on the ground, and called for adequate, predictable and sustainable funding for UNHCR's mandate.
Source: Permanent Mission of the Kingdom of Cambodia to the UN Office at Geneva
Reported by The Khmer Daily Network
H.E. Ambassador Ke Sovann, Cambodia's Permanent Representative to the UN Office at Geneva, made the statement during the General Debate of the 77th Session of the UNHCR Executive Committee on Oct. 13, 2026.
He reaffirmed Cambodia's commitment to international refugee protection and cooperation with UNHCR as a State Party to the 1951 Refugee Convention and its 1967 Protocol.
The Ambassador said the occupation and the continued destruction of Cambodian property by Thai armed forces violate Cambodia's sovereignty and territorial integrity and contradict the UN Charter.
Photo: Permanent Mission of the Kingdom of Cambodia to the UN Office at GenevaHe called for the full and good-faith implementation of the Kuala Lumpur Joint Declaration of Oct. 26, 2025, and the Joint Statement of Dec. 27, 2025, with priority on the safe and dignified return of displaced Cambodians.
Ambassador Ke Sovann urged UNHCR, working closely with the Royal Government and other UN agencies, to support protection and humanitarian efforts for displaced Cambodians and to help secure durable solutions. He said commitments to peace and dialogue must be matched by concrete action on the ground, and called for adequate, predictable and sustainable funding for UNHCR's mandate.
Source: Permanent Mission of the Kingdom of Cambodia to the UN Office at Geneva
Reported by The Khmer Daily Network
