National
Cambodia Strikes Back at Thailand's UN Claims: 'Unilateral Assertions Cannot Establish a Boundary'
Phnom Penh— Sept. 30, 2026: Cambodia has publicly repudiated Thailand's account of the border dispute delivered at the United Nations, warning that no amount of repetition can turn a unilateral claim into law.
In a response issued by Touch Sokhak, Deputy Spokesperson of the Ministry of Interior, Cambodia said international boundaries are not created by statements, maps, armed deployments, shipping containers blocking roads, barbed wire or fait accompli.
The exchange followed a Right of Reply at the 81st UN General Assembly on Sept. 28, in which Thailand's Permanent Representative, Ambassador Cherdchai Chaivaivid, told the chamber that Cambodians living in border shelter areas since the 1970s had refused to return home and were encroaching on Thai soil.
Cambodia rejected that outright. Thailand's own Ministry of Foreign Affairs documents, it noted, recognise the border rests on the 1904 Franco-Siamese Convention, the 1907 Treaty and their associated maps. The 2000 Memorandum of Understanding requires surveying and demarcation to be carried out jointly through the Joint Boundary Commission. If Bangkok believes its claims are legally sound, it should bring its maps and legal documents to the JBC — not to the UN floor.
"Unilateral assertions cannot establish a boundary. Situations established by force cannot substitute for lawful surveying," the statement said.
Cambodia's position rests on verified observation. According to the Ministry of National Defence, the Cambodian Liaison Group coordinated a field visit for the ASEAN Observer Team in Cambodia, led by the Head of Mission from the Philippines, to observe, verify and report on conditions along the border. The team inspected the deployment of shipping containers, barbed wire, trenches, embankments and roads, and the occupation of Cambodian territory by Thai forces at the O'Smach International Point of Entry in Oddar Meanchey province — actions that have prevented 366 Cambodian civilians, or 98 families including 190 women and 101 children, from returning home.
Those findings, Cambodia said, underscore the urgent need for the Joint Boundary Commission to begin demarcation work, in line with Point 4 of the Joint Statement of the 3rd Special Meeting of the General Border Committee on Dec. 27, 2025 — the same agreement Thailand signed and now cites as proof of its commitment to peace. Respect for a ceasefire, Cambodia argued, cannot be measured by the absence of large-scale clashes while its substance goes unimplemented.
Cambodia has also reaffirmed a wider national principle: defending the homeland and territorial integrity is the duty of every citizen, and a fast-changing world demands a trained, disciplined and capable force to protect sovereignty, territorial integrity, the people and peace — a message delivered by H.E. General Tea Seiha, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of National Defence and Chairman of the National Committee for Military Conscription, on Sept. 27, 2026.
Ambassador Cherdchai told the Assembly that diplomacy remains Thailand's first choice, that Bangkok is committed to the ceasefire and the Dec. 27 statement, and that it is ready to engage constructively in the conciliation process. He called for an end to border provocations and cooperation on demining and fighting transnational crime, including online scams.
Cambodia's answer: it will not be silenced while its sovereignty, territorial integrity and citizens' safety are at stake. Raising such matters peacefully is consistent with the UN Charter. Cambodia said it will continue to present evidence through every peaceful mechanism — bilateral, regional and international — for as long as Thai military activities continue.
"The only requirement is that the Thai side must honour the documents it has signed," the statement said. "As for demanding Cambodia's silence, it will not make the realities on the ground disappear."
Source: Ministry of Interior
https://www.interior.gov.kh/news/45mk5irTTvIB
Ministry of National Defence
Ministry of National Defence
The Standard
https://thestandard.co/cherdchai-unga-cambodia-refugees-thailand/
Reported by The Khmer Today
