Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet has appealed to ASEAN, the United Nations and major world powers to ensure full respect for the ceasefire agreement with Thailand, warning that the situation along the border remains “tense and fragile,” his Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
He sent letters to Malaysian Prime Minister and ASEAN Chair Anwar Ibrahim, UN Secretary General António Guterres, and Annalena Baerbock, President of the 80th Session of the UN General Assembly.
Similar letters were also dispatched to Chinese President Xi Jinping, US President Donald Trump, and French President Emmanuel Macron.
“The communication aims to bring the attention of these world leaders to the recent developments along the Cambodia-Thailand border that endanger peace and stability between our two nations and the wider region,” the statement said.
Hun Manet cited escalating incidents that have extended the conflict zone beyond Preah Vihear and Oddar Meanchey provinces, and urged the full implementation of ceasefire commitments reached at recent General Border Committee (GBC) and Regional Border Committee (RBC) meetings.
Since August 12, he claimed Thai forces have expanded the disputed area by erecting barbed wire, setting up barricades, issuing ultimatums, and forcibly evicting Cambodian villagers from long-settled land in Banteay Meanchey’s Chouk Chey and Prey Chan communes, the ministry said.
About 25 families have already been barred from their homes, while hundreds more face possible eviction.
The statement also alleged that the Thai military intends to seize land at 17 additional locations from Pursat to Koh Kong provinces.
Such actions, it said, amount to unilateral boundary demarcation in violation of the 2000 Memorandum of Understanding, the mandate of the Cambodian-Thai Joint Commission on Demarcation for Land Boundary (JBC), and commitments made at the GBC and RBC meetings.
“These unilateral actions, including the extraterritorial application of Thai martial law, not only violate Cambodia’s sovereignty but also constitute serious breaches of international law, including the UN Charter, the ASEAN Charter, and the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia,” the ministry said.
The statement was issued amid heightened tensions on September 17, when Thai forces fired rubber bullets and tear gas at Cambodian protesters in Banteay Meanchey.
At least 24 people were injured in the clash—the first such use of riot-control weapons since the July ceasefire—according to government spokesperson Pen Bona.
Information Minister Neth Pheaktra confirmed that a soldier and a Buddhist monk were among the wounded.
