Thailand Asked the Commission to Trust Its Words. Its Record Says Otherwise.

PHNOM PENH — Sept. 16, 2026

Thailand's opening statement to the Conciliation Commission in Singapore on Sept. 15 asked the world to believe two things at once: that Bangkok has always preferred dialogue, and that it terminated the very agreement that made dialogue possible.

Deputy Prime Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow called for trust and warned against "one-upmanship" — then spent most of his statement accusing Cambodia of hypocrisy and playing the victim. That is not diplomacy. It is a grievance dressed as goodwill.

The contradiction at the centre is the 2001 MOU. Thailand withdrew from it, then called the withdrawal a "fresh start." A treaty between two states is not a dead letter to be discarded when it becomes inconvenient. It is the channel. Bangkok cannot close the agreed door and then fault Cambodia for seeking another room.

Cambodia came to Singapore to talk about the law of the sea. Deputy Prime Minister Prak Sokhonn, serving as Cambodia's Agent, set out three concrete proposals: a single comprehensive maritime boundary treaty facilitated by the Commission; a joint development agreement for equitable resource sharing while a boundary is pending; and, failing both, a Commission report with recommendations to guide future negotiations.

That is what engagement looks like. Thailand's response was to change the subject — to a leaked phone call, to landmines, to Cambodia's motives, to anything but the maritime boundary the Commission was convened to address. Bangkok lectured the room on international law while declining to examine its own conduct under it.

Thailand says its commitment to international law is "unwavering." Yet it is not a party to the Convention on Cluster Munitions, whose Review Conference Cambodia is attending in Vientiane. There, Senior Minister Ly Thuch confirmed that M42, M46 and M85 submunitions — M-series cluster munitions never before found in Cambodia — were left behind during the July and December 2025 clashes. Cambodian civilians have been injured. These weapons do not distinguish between a soldier and a child.

The physical record is harder still. Cambodia's National Authority for Preah Vihear has documented damage at 562 locations and recovered 65,738 stone pieces from a temple Thailand's statement never mentioned. It also should be noted that, Thai military also looted ancient artifacts from Khnar Temple, according to Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts.

Cambodia's position remains that peace and stability between the two nations serve not only their own citizens but the wider ASEAN community. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation has said Cambodia sincerely hopes Thailand will engage constructively in this process and, in parallel, work towards improving relations through the full and effective implementation of all existing bilateral agreements, particularly the Joint Statement of 27 December 2025.

Thailand says it stands on the path of peace. Cambodia's answer is that the path has a name, and it is the law — applied to both neighbours, not only the smaller one.

Reported by The Khmer Today