Cambodia Raises Thai 'Fait Accompli' Attempts on Sovereign Territory with UN Human Rights Office

AKP Phnom Penh, July 08, 2026 -- Cambodian Human Rights Committee (CHRC) President H.E. Keo Remy has briefed the Representative of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Cambodia on Thailand's attempts to create a fait accompli in Cambodian territory through continued activities along the Cambodia-Thailand border. The issue was raised during a meeting with Ms. Matilda Bogner, OHCHR Representative in Cambodia, at the CHRC headquarters in Phnom Penh on the afternoon of July 7. According to H.E. Keo Remy, Thailand has been attempting to establish new facts on the ground by demolishing Cambodian civilians' homes, constructing new infrastructure in unlawfully occupied areas, maintaining illegal presence, and taking property belonging to Cambodian residents. The CHRC President also outlined additional violations committed by Thailand, including discrimination, intimidation, and violence against Cambodian migrant workers living in Thailand. He further referred to the alleged rape of a Cambodian female migrant worker by Thai military personnel while she was returning to Cambodia from Thailand. H.E. Keo Remy added that Thai forces had carried out indiscriminate attacks inside Cambodian territory using heavy weapons, cluster munitions, toxic smoke, and F-16, Gripen, and T-50 fighter aircraft, resulting in damage to public and private property, including the UNESCO-listed Preah Vihear Temple, and the displacement of more than 640,000 people. He added that despite the ceasefire agreement reached on Dec. 27, 2025, more than 20,000 displaced Cambodians – most of them women and children – remain unable to return home due to the continued illegal occupation of Cambodian territory by Thai troops, the installation of barbed wire and shipping containers, and the destruction of civilian homes. By C. Nika