Cambodia Urges Thailand to Resume Border Talks, Rejects Unilateral Boundary Changes

PHNOM PENH, July 9, 2026 (KPT) — Cambodia has renewed its call for Thailand to resume bilateral border talks, insisting disputes must be resolved through diplomacy and international law rather than unilateral actions or the use of force. Government spokesman Pen Bona told reporters Thursday that Cambodia remains committed to addressing border issues with Thailand and other neighbours through existing mechanisms, recalling the country’s decades of conflict before achieving peace under its Win‑Win Policy. He said Cambodia’s Joint Boundary Commission (JBC) has sent nine diplomatic notes to Thailand since a second ceasefire agreement took effect on December 27, 2025. The notes proposed a special JBC meeting and the deployment of Joint Survey Teams to restart border survey and demarcation work. The government said the proposals are consistent with the minutes of a special JBC meeting in October 2025 and the joint statement issued after the Third Special Meeting of the General Border Committee in December 2025. Both sides had agreed to accelerate survey work, prioritising areas affecting civilians and ensuring safety from landmines. Bona urged Thailand to accept the proposed meeting and allow survey teams to return to the field without delay. He also called on Bangkok to halt activities in territory Cambodia says is under illegal Thai occupation, warning against attempts to create a “fait accompli.” He reiterated Cambodia’s position that only joint survey teams under the JBC have the mandate to determine the boundary, which must remain based on treaties, maps, pillar records and bilateral agreements. “Cambodia does not recognise any change to the international boundary brought about through force,” he said.