Thailand 'Never Sought Conflict' at UN — Evidence on the Ground Begs to Differ

PHNOM PENH — Sept. 25, 2026: Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul used his maiden address to the UN General Assembly on Friday to insist Thailand has never sought conflict with Cambodia, even as Cambodian defence officials document continued Thai military encroachment along their shared frontier. Cambodia has not yet issued an official response.

Speaking in New York, Anutin said Bangkok had pursued bilateral dialogue to resolve differences, including during a May meeting with Prime Minister Hun Manet, and lamented that Cambodia "did not give dialogue a genuine chance" before turning to UNCLOS conciliation.

That account clashes with the situation on the ground, according to Cambodia's Ministry of National Defence.

On Aug. 27, 2026, Cambodia's Coordinating Liaison Group escorted the ASEAN Observer Team–Cambodia (AOT-KH), headed by the mission chief from the Republic of the Philippines, to inspect and report on conditions along the border. The observers recorded Thai container vessels, barbed-wire fencing, canal excavation, trench digging and road construction on Cambodian soil — alongside what Cambodia describes as an unlawful occupation by Thai forces at the O'Smach crossing in Oddar Meanchey province, which has kept numerous families from returning home.

Cambodia's Ministry of National Defence stressed that the site is a purely civilian area, struck by Thai F-16 airstrikes and heavy artillery in December 2025, leaving homes, property and public infrastructure extensively damaged.

Photo: United Nation
The Ministry said the observers' findings reinforce the urgent need for the Cambodia-Thailand Joint Boundary Commission to commence demarcation without further delay, in keeping with Point 4 of the Joint Statement of the 3rd Special Meeting of the General Border Committee on Dec. 27, 2025 — a commitment meant to let displaced Cambodian civilians return home freely, safely and with dignity.

Meanwhile, the General Border Committee — the principal bilateral mechanism for handling border affairs — has yet to reconvene. Thailand has repeatedly postponed or left unconfirmed GBC meetings, citing unfinished internal procedures and the need to settle its new JBC lineup. As of late August 2026, the framework had still not resumed despite both sides' commitment to the December 2025 Joint Statement.

Cambodia has consistently said it sought UNCLOS conciliation because Thailand terminated the 2001 Memorandum of Understanding, leaving no functioning bilateral channel.

Anutin told the Assembly that the conciliation process concerns maritime boundary delimitation alone, and urged Cambodia to cooperate on border security, including joint action against online scams and on demining. He said the shared border "must be a place of shared prosperity, not one that continues to bear the scars of conflict."

Much of his speech addressed wider themes, including calls for UN Security Council reform, greater representation for the global South and Asia, and a warning that confidence in international institutions is eroding.

Reported by The Khmer Daily Network