Cambodia Urges Calm, International Oversight After Border Clashes With Thailand

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (Sept.30, 2025) — Cambodia is calling for calm and international oversight following renewed border clashes with Thailand and a dispute over jurisdiction in contested areas.

Tensions escalated after Cambodia accused Thai forces of firing mortars and machine guns at a Cambodian military base in the An Seh area of Preah Vihear province on Sept. 27. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation detailed the incident in a statement titled “Updates on the Situation of the Cambodia-Thailand Border from Sept. 28–29, 2025.”

Senate President Hun Sen urged ASEAN’s Interim Observers Team, led by Malaysia, to conduct ballistic forensics and inspect shell impact sites to determine the direction of fire. “Shell trajectories cannot be manipulated,” Hun Sen wrote on Facebook, calling on Thailand to allow access for an independent investigation.

Cambodia’s Ministry of National Defense facilitated an IOT site visit on Sept. 28. Officials said Thai forces initiated the attack and then falsely accused Cambodia of starting the clash — a move Phnom Penh warned could jeopardize a fragile ceasefire.
Speaking at the U.N. General Assembly in New York, Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn reaffirmed Cambodia’s commitment to peace but said trust must be backed by action. “Sincerity is only credible when matched by respect for agreements on the ground,” he said.

Separately, Cambodia’s Banteay Meanchey provincial government protested a Sept. 28 move by Thailand’s Sa Kaeo authorities to raise a banner asserting Thai law over two disputed villages inside Cambodia. Phnom Penh called the act a provocation and a violation of prior agreements.

Cambodia also renewed its call for Thailand to release 18 Cambodian soldiers who have been held in custody for more than two months, citing international humanitarian law.
“We are a small country that poses no threat to others,” Prak said. “We seek peace and prosperity — not provocation.”