Cambodia Affirms Sovereignty Over Tamone Thom Temple Amid Border Dispute

PHNOM PENH, July 8, 2026 (KPT) – Cambodia’s State Secretariat of Border Affairs (SSBA) has reiterated its stance that the Tamone Thom Temple lies within its sovereign territory. Historical boundary documents and mapping records confirm the temple's location inside Cambodia, with even a unilateral map drawn by Thailand placing the site on the Cambodian side of the border, the SSBA stated. Ith Sotha, Permanent Secretary of State at the SSBA, cited the 1:200,000‑scale map, the 1908 and 1919 boundary‑marking minutes of the Franco‑Indochina–Siam Boundary Commission, and Thailand’s own L7017 map produced at a scale of 1:50,000 as evidence supporting Cambodia’s claim. He noted that when the boundary line from the 1:200,000‑scale map was transferred onto later topographic maps, including Thailand’s L7017, the temple continued to appear within Cambodian territory. Sotha argued that Thailand’s unilateral mapping and demarcation of the area around Tamone Thom Temple were inaccurate. "We can examine the topographic map attached to the survey records of the Franco‑Indochina–Siam Boundary Commission from 1908. The document clearly shows that Tamone Thom Temple is located within Cambodian territory," he said, adding that the historical records provide documentary evidence of Cambodia’s sovereignty over the site. The 1:200,000‑scale map and related topographic documents were jointly prepared by French and Siamese authorities during the 1908 border demarcation process and remain key references in Cambodia’s position on the temple’s location.