Cambodian Officials Reject Allegations of Land Concessions to Thailand

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (Dec. 1, 2025) — Senior Cambodian officials have rejected accusations that the government ceded territory to Thailand, calling the claims a misunderstanding of border affairs and mapping procedures.

Ith Sotha, permanent secretary of state at the Border Affairs Secretariat, said allegations of “giving up land in exchange for peace” ignore the technical and legal foundations of Cambodia’s border work.

He stressed that demarcation is conducted through bilateral negotiations and based on legally recognized documents dating back to the French colonial era.

Sotha said temporary markers along parts of the frontier indicate where permanent posts, first installed between 1919 and 1920 by the Indochina–Siam Border Demarcation Commission, will be reinstated.

He cited the 1904 and 1907 Franco-Siam Treaties, the 1907 Protocol, and related maps as the legal basis for the present-day boundary.

Secretary of State Lay Sieng Li also dismissed claims that Border Marker 43 had been moved inside Cambodian territory, saying technicians uncovered the original post using 1919 records.

Government spokesman Pen Bona accused exiled opposition figures of spreading misinformation, while analyst Yang Peou said the issue is highly technical and cannot be resolved through political activism or unverified maps.

The Border Affairs Secretariat urged public confidence in the government and the joint boundary commission, reaffirming their commitment to safeguarding sovereignty and territorial integrity.