Cambodia Condemns Thai Military Encroachment, Demands Peaceful Resolution to Border Dispute

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (Sept. 4) — Cambodia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation issued a formal protest Wednesday over what it described as Thai military encroachment and expansion of conflict zones along the shared border, particularly in areas inhabited by Cambodian communities for decades.

The ministry said Thai forces laid barbed wire, nets, barriers and tires in August at two villages in O Bei Chorn commune, O Chrov district, Banteay Meanchey province. The installations have displaced numerous Cambodian families, who were evicted from their homes and farmland and are now seeking redress.

On Aug. 26 and 28, Maj. Gen. Wanchana Sawasdee, director of the Mission Coordination Office for National Security under the Royal Thai Armed Forces, publicly issued an ultimatum for Cambodia to evacuate its citizens from Chouk Chey village within three to six months or face forced removal by Thai troops, the ministry said.
Thai authorities have reportedly installed signage reflecting the ultimatum, and the governor of Thailand’s Sa Kaeo province sent a formal letter to the governor of Cambodia’s Banteay Meanchey province regarding the matter.

The ministry said these actions, along with Thailand’s announced plan to issue land titles to Thai citizens in areas long inhabited by Cambodians, are deeply concerning and amount to a unilateral attempt to demarcate the border through military means.
Such moves violate the mandate of the Joint Commission on Demarcation for Land Boundary and contradict the spirit of the 2000 memorandum of understanding on land boundary surveys and demarcation, as well as recent ceasefire and committee agreements reached in July and August.

The Cambodian government reaffirmed its commitment to resolving boundary disputes peacefully and in accordance with international law. It urged Thailand to maintain the status quo ante and resolve the situation through the General Border Committee and the Joint Boundary Commission, as previously agreed.