Border Conflict
• 5 hours ago• Lim_Rothanaksambath
'It Will Not Make the Realities Disappear': Cambodia Rejects Thailand's UN Border Claims
Phnom Penh — Sept. 30, 2026: Cambodia has confronted Thailand's border narrative at the United Nations, rejecting Bangkok's claim that Cambodian citizens are encroaching on Thai territory and pointing to ASEAN observations documenting the situation on the ground.
In a statement from Touch Sokhak, Deputy Spokesperson of the Ministry of Interior, Cambodia dismissed the assertions as an attempt to manufacture legal facts through repetition and force. "International boundaries are not determined by unilateral statements or maps, the presence of armed forces, the deployment of shipping containers to blockade roads, barbed wire, or fait accompli," it read.
The clash followed a Right of Reply at the 81st UN General Assembly on Sept. 28, in which Thailand's Permanent Representative, Ambassador Cherdchai Chaivaivid, told delegates that Cambodians sheltering along the border since the 1970s had refused to return and were encroaching on Thai land.
Cambodia countered that Thailand's own foreign ministry documents recognise the border's basis in the 1904 Franco-Siamese Convention, the 1907 Treaty and related maps, while the 2000 MoU requires joint surveying and demarcation through the Joint Boundary Commission. Rather than debating history at the UN, Cambodia said, Bangkok should take its maps and legal documents to the JBC — the mechanism both sides agreed to use.
The Ministry of National Defence said the Cambodian Liaison Group coordinated a field visit for the ASEAN Observer Team in Cambodia, led by the Head of Mission from the Philippines, to observe, verify and report on the border situation. The team inspected the deployment of shipping containers, barbed wire, trenches, embankments and roads, and the occupation of Cambodian territory by Thai forces at the O'Smach International Point of Entry in Oddar Meanchey province — actions that have prevented 366 Cambodian civilians, or 98 families including 190 women and 101 children, from returning home.
Photo: ក្រសួងការពារជាតិ Ministry of National Defence
Those findings, the Ministry said, underscore the urgent need for the Joint Boundary Commission to begin demarcation work, in line with Point 4 of the Joint Statement of the 3rd Special Meeting of the General Border Committee on Dec. 27, 2025, which is meant to ensure citizens can return home safely, peacefully and with dignity. Cambodia noted that Thailand signed that same agreement — and now cites it as evidence of its commitment to peace. Respect for a ceasefire, Cambodia said, is not proven by the absence of major clashes while its terms go unfulfilled.
That resolve reflects a wider national principle. Cambodia has reaffirmed that defending the homeland and territorial integrity is the duty of every citizen, and that a fast-changing world demands a trained, disciplined and capable force to protect sovereignty, territorial integrity, the people and peace — a message delivered by H.E. General Tea Seiha, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of National Defence and Chairman of the National Committee for Military Conscription, on Sept. 27, 2026.
Ambassador Cherdchai told the Assembly that diplomacy remains Thailand's first choice, that Bangkok is committed to the ceasefire and the Dec. 27 statement, and that it is ready to engage constructively in the conciliation process. He called for an end to border provocations and cooperation on demining and fighting transnational crime, including online scams.
Photo: ក្រសួងការពារជាតិ Ministry of National Defence
Cambodia's response was blunt: no appeal for silence will erase the situation on the ground. It said it will continue to present evidence through every peaceful mechanism — bilateral, regional and international — for as long as Thai military activities continue, consistent with the UN Charter.
"The only requirement is that the Thai side must honour the documents it has signed," the statement said. "As for demanding Cambodia's silence, it will not make the realities on the ground disappear."
Source: Ministry of Interior
Ministry of National Defence
Ministry of National Defence
The Standard
Reported by The Khmer Daily Network
In a statement from Touch Sokhak, Deputy Spokesperson of the Ministry of Interior, Cambodia dismissed the assertions as an attempt to manufacture legal facts through repetition and force. "International boundaries are not determined by unilateral statements or maps, the presence of armed forces, the deployment of shipping containers to blockade roads, barbed wire, or fait accompli," it read.
The clash followed a Right of Reply at the 81st UN General Assembly on Sept. 28, in which Thailand's Permanent Representative, Ambassador Cherdchai Chaivaivid, told delegates that Cambodians sheltering along the border since the 1970s had refused to return and were encroaching on Thai land.
Cambodia countered that Thailand's own foreign ministry documents recognise the border's basis in the 1904 Franco-Siamese Convention, the 1907 Treaty and related maps, while the 2000 MoU requires joint surveying and demarcation through the Joint Boundary Commission. Rather than debating history at the UN, Cambodia said, Bangkok should take its maps and legal documents to the JBC — the mechanism both sides agreed to use.
The Ministry of National Defence said the Cambodian Liaison Group coordinated a field visit for the ASEAN Observer Team in Cambodia, led by the Head of Mission from the Philippines, to observe, verify and report on the border situation. The team inspected the deployment of shipping containers, barbed wire, trenches, embankments and roads, and the occupation of Cambodian territory by Thai forces at the O'Smach International Point of Entry in Oddar Meanchey province — actions that have prevented 366 Cambodian civilians, or 98 families including 190 women and 101 children, from returning home.
Photo: ក្រសួងការពារជាតិ Ministry of National DefenceThose findings, the Ministry said, underscore the urgent need for the Joint Boundary Commission to begin demarcation work, in line with Point 4 of the Joint Statement of the 3rd Special Meeting of the General Border Committee on Dec. 27, 2025, which is meant to ensure citizens can return home safely, peacefully and with dignity. Cambodia noted that Thailand signed that same agreement — and now cites it as evidence of its commitment to peace. Respect for a ceasefire, Cambodia said, is not proven by the absence of major clashes while its terms go unfulfilled.
That resolve reflects a wider national principle. Cambodia has reaffirmed that defending the homeland and territorial integrity is the duty of every citizen, and that a fast-changing world demands a trained, disciplined and capable force to protect sovereignty, territorial integrity, the people and peace — a message delivered by H.E. General Tea Seiha, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of National Defence and Chairman of the National Committee for Military Conscription, on Sept. 27, 2026.
Ambassador Cherdchai told the Assembly that diplomacy remains Thailand's first choice, that Bangkok is committed to the ceasefire and the Dec. 27 statement, and that it is ready to engage constructively in the conciliation process. He called for an end to border provocations and cooperation on demining and fighting transnational crime, including online scams.
Photo: ក្រសួងការពារជាតិ Ministry of National DefenceCambodia's response was blunt: no appeal for silence will erase the situation on the ground. It said it will continue to present evidence through every peaceful mechanism — bilateral, regional and international — for as long as Thai military activities continue, consistent with the UN Charter.
"The only requirement is that the Thai side must honour the documents it has signed," the statement said. "As for demanding Cambodia's silence, it will not make the realities on the ground disappear."
Source: Ministry of Interior
Ministry of National Defence
Ministry of National Defence
The Standard
Reported by The Khmer Daily Network
