Cambodia Urges Calm, Calls for Joint Border Commission to Resolve Dispute with Thailand

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (Oct. 9, 2025) — Cambodian authorities are calling for restraint and continued cooperation with Thailand following a border dispute in the Choam Khsant area near Banteay Meanchey province, where tensions have escalated between local residents and officials on both sides.

In a formal letter to the governor of Thailand’s Sa Kaeo province, the Banteay Meanchey Provincial Administration asserted that the contested area lies within Chouk Chey village, O’Beichoan commune, O’Chrov district—territory Cambodia claims is clearly within its sovereign borders.

Officials said the land has long been inhabited and cultivated by Cambodian citizens, predating the 2000 Memorandum of Understanding on land boundary matters between the two countries.

They said temporary shelters were erected to maintain public order and protect farmland legally owned by Cambodian nationals.

Authorities alleged that residents were displaced by repeated encroachments, including fencing, wall construction, and land seizures that destroyed homes.
The administration emphasized that final border demarcation falls under the Cambodia–Thailand Joint Border Commission, not provincial authorities.

Citing the 2000 MoU and a Sept. 10 meeting of the General Border Committee, Cambodian officials said both sides had agreed to maintain the status quo in disputed areas.​ The letter urged Thai officials to avoid unilateral actions and preserve the spirit of friendship while awaiting the JBC’s resolution.