Cambodia Urges UN to Help Mediate Border Tensions With Thailand

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (Nov.11, 2025) — Cambodia’s human rights chief has called on the United Nations to help mediate rising tensions with Thailand, urging the release of detained Cambodian soldiers and a ban on the use of prohibited weapons in recent border clashes.

Keo Remy, president of the Cambodian Human Rights Committee (CHRC), made the appeal during a meeting with Rory Mungoven, head of the Asia-Pacific Regional Office of the UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR), in Phnom Penh on Nov. 10. The two sides discussed ongoing cooperation and future joint initiatives.

Remy welcomed Mungoven and his delegation, commending past collaboration and raising several key concerns. He called for the release of 18 Cambodian soldiers detained by Thai forces and urged the UN to help prevent the use of internationally banned weapons in border incidents.

He also criticized Sweden’s sale of Gripen fighter jets to Thailand, saying the move undermined Sweden’s reputation as a champion of human rights amid heightened tensions between the two Southeast Asian neighbors.

Remy emphasized the role of human rights in maintaining international peace and urged that future UN reports on Cambodia accurately reflect conditions on the ground.
In response, Mungoven thanked Remy for the meeting and praised the CHRC’s efforts to promote human rights, including its advocacy for LGBTQ+ rights.

He said the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights was closely monitoring petitions submitted by the CHRC and the implementation of joint statements between Cambodia and Thailand aimed at resolving disputes peacefully.

Mungoven said he would follow up on Remy’s requests and report them to the High Commissioner. He also inquired about progress on Cambodia’s draft law to establish a National Human Rights Institution.

Remy outlined the law’s development and reaffirmed Cambodia’s commitment to expanding its social protection system and other priority programs under the leadership of Prime Minister Hun Manet.