Cambodia Rejects Thailand's Unilateral Border Claims, Accuses Bangkok of Violating Agreements

Cambodia has categorically rejected Thailand’s unilateral claims over sections of their shared border and accused Thai troops of violating bilateral border agreements and encroaching on Cambodian territory in Oddar Meanchey province. In a statement on June 27, 2026, Cambodia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation stated that Thai soldiers had been clearing forested areas and laying barbed wire near Border Marker No. 26 in Banteay Ampil district since early June, which Phnom Penh described as an attempt to shift the border further into Cambodian territory. The ministry asserted that Cambodia does not recognize the border line claimed unilaterally by Thailand and argued that the actions of Thai forces violate existing agreements governing the management and demarcation of the land boundary between the two countries. Specifically, it cited breaches of Article 5 of the 2000 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU 2000) on the survey and demarcation of the Cambodia-Thailand land border, and Point 1 of the Joint Statement adopted during the Third Extraordinary Meeting of the General Border Committee (GBC) on December 27, 2025. This agreement committed both sides to allowing the Joint Boundary Commission (JBC) to continue border demarcation based on existing bilateral agreements. Cambodia called on Thailand to cease what it described as “hostile acts” and to honor their shared commitments to reduce tensions and resolve border disputes through peaceful means. However, the ministry reported that Thai forces had continued their activities, including maintaining positions that Cambodia says are inside its territory and constructing border fencing unilaterally. Government spokesman Pen Bona recently stated that Cambodia has lodged 42 formal diplomatic protests over what it describes as Thai encroachments since July 2025. He added that Cambodia had also sent nine diplomatic notes requesting meetings of the Joint Boundary Commission (JBC) and the deployment of Joint Survey Teams (JSTs) to continue border demarcation work on the ground. Cambodia has long maintained that the border should be demarcated using the 1:200,000-scale maps prepared by the Franco-Siamese Boundary Commission under the 1904 Franco-Siamese Convention and the 1907 Franco-Siamese Treaty. Phnom Penh has accused Thailand of relying instead on 1:50,000-scale maps, which Cambodia says were produced unilaterally, to support its territorial claims. Thailand has not publicly responded to Cambodia’s latest statement.