Hun Manet: Thailand Must Respect International Law to Preserve Peace

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (Dec. 8, 2025) — Prime Minister Hun Manet has urged Thailand to uphold international law as tensions rise along the two countries’ shared border.

Speaking late Monday, Samdech Thipadei Hun Manet said that if Thailand “sincerely respects international law,” it must refrain from deploying military force against civilian areas under claims of sovereignty.

His remarks followed reports that Thailand’s 1st Army Area signaled plans to use force in contested zones, including artillery fire and troop mobilization near Prey Chan and Choukchey villages in Banteay Meanchey province.

Samdech Thipadei Hun Manet said Cambodia consistently respects the sovereignty and territorial integrity of neighboring states but would not allow violations of its own territory. He noted Thai leaders had repeatedly pledged the same commitment in the past.

He stressed that both countries had long agreed to resolve border issues through the Cambodia–Thailand Joint Boundary Commission, which has worked for more than two decades using legally recognized documents from the French colonial period.

Recent joint survey work to install temporary markers between boundary pillars 42–47 in Banteay Meanchey and 52–59 in Battambang had progressed smoothly, he said. The Battambang section was nearly complete, while work in Banteay Meanchey continued in line with agreed procedures and historical records.

Samdech Thipadei Hun Manet said the reported announcement by Thailand’s 1st Army Area ran counter to principles of peaceful settlement and ongoing demarcation efforts.

He expressed hope Thailand would continue to use “peaceful and lawful means” in resolving border issues, adding that Cambodia would respect the outcome of any legitimate survey and expected Thailand to show the same sincerity.