Government reaffirms urgent border talks with Thailand amid renewed tensions

PHNOM PENH, April 8, 2026 (KPT) – Cambodia has requested an urgent meeting with Thailand to address ongoing border issues and resume joint demarcation work, government spokesman Pen Bona said Tuesday.

Bona said the Secretariat of Border Affairs, representing Cambodia’s Joint Boundary Commission (JBC), sent a diplomatic note to its Thai counterpart on April 7.

The request calls for a special JBC meeting between April 17 and 22 in Siem Reap, following discussions held in Chanthaburi, Thailand, in October 2025.

Cambodia also proposed deploying joint survey teams from April 20 to 24 to continue fieldwork along disputed or undemarcated sections of the frontier, including in Banteay Meanchey and Battambang provinces.

Plans include installing temporary markers and reconstructing 15 border posts based on original French-era designs.

Further survey work has been suggested in areas such as O’Smach and Boeng Trakuon, as well as waterways and straight-line boundaries.

The government reiterated its opposition to what it described as illegal incursions by Thai forces, stressing Cambodia’s commitment to peaceful resolution under international law and historical Franco-Siamese treaties.