Cambodia Highlights Military Attaché Visit to An Seh as Proof of Sovereignty

The Cambodian government has revealed that foreign military attachés visited the An Seh area, the site of recent border clashes with Thailand, shortly after the cessation of hostilities in July. Minister of Information Neth Pheaktra announced via social media that the visit on July 30, 2025, served as international evidence of the area's Cambodian sovereignty and effective administration. The An Seh area, located in Choam Khsant district of Preah Vihear province, was reportedly occupied by Thai forces during renewed clashes in December. During that period, razor wire, shipping container barricades were erected, and civilian infrastructure was destroyed, according to Cambodian reports. Minister Pheaktra stated that the visit, which occurred after a ceasefire agreement took effect at midnight on July 28 and following the alleged "treacherous handshake" incident where 18 Cambodian soldiers were reportedly detained by Thai troops under the guise of reconciliation, allowed foreign military attachés stationed in Cambodia, along with domestic and international journalists, to observe the situation on the ground firsthand. "The mission provided a direct view of the realities on the ground and became an important form of international witness to the consequences of the Thai military’s armed aggression from July 24 to 27, 2025," Pheaktra wrote. He added that Thai forces attempted to advance into and seize the An Seh area during the four-day July clashes but failed to achieve their objective. Instead, the fighting resulted in visible destruction, including damage to a local hermitage and a statue of Lok Ta Oum, a spiritual site revered by Cambodian communities, which served as evidence of armed force used on Cambodian sovereign territory. Pheaktra stressed that the presence of foreign military attachés was "not an ordinary visit" but a direct observation of the post-ceasefire situation. He asserted that what they witnessed provides living testimony to the consequences of the Thai military’s actions and confirms that the An Seh area lies under the sovereignty and effective administration of the Kingdom of Cambodia. During the visit, officials from the State Secretariat of Border Affairs briefed the diplomats on Cambodia’s legal and historical basis for its territorial claim over An Seh. Cambodian officials argued that An Seh falls within Cambodian territory based on historical records and internationally recognized cartographic evidence, including 1:200,000 scale maps and the procès-verbaux (PVs) of the Indochina-Siam Boundary Commission from 1908 and 1919. They also contended that Thailand's own unilaterally produced L7017 map, at a scale of 1:50,000, is consistent with locating the An Seh area on the Cambodian side of the border. The minister concluded that the combination of documentary evidence and Cambodia’s continued administration of the area reinforces the country’s position that An Seh is part of its sovereign territory. The visit, he noted, was more than a ceasefire-monitoring mission; it provided international witnesses with direct access to facts on the ground and reinforced evidence that An Seh forms part of Cambodian territory. He reiterated that this conclusion rests not only on Cambodia’s effective administration but also on historical boundary records, official maps, and supporting evidence contained in Thailand’s own cartographic materials. The visit occurred amid heightened diplomatic attention following the July 2025 Cambodia-Thailand border clashes and efforts to monitor the implementation of the ceasefire that ended four days of fighting. In a separate post earlier this week, Pheaktra revisited the alleged "treacherous handshake" incident, expressing concerns about confidence in the ceasefire after Cambodia alleged that Thai troops detained 18 Cambodian soldiers shortly after the truce came into effect. Cambodia has consistently maintained that An Seh is an integral part of its territory and has called for respect for existing border agreements, historical boundary records, and international law in resolving disputes with Thailand.