Cambodia Protests Thai Military Helicopter Intrusion, Citing Sovereignty Violation

The Cambodian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation issued a strong protest on September 4 against a Thai military helicopter that intruded into Cambodian airspace by approximately 400 meters on September 3, near the Doung international border gate in Kamrieng district, Battambang province. The ministry stated that this act clearly violates Cambodia's sovereignty and territorial integrity, international law, and existing bilateral commitments between the two countries. According to the ministry, this intrusion violated Article 1 of the Convention on International Civil Aviation (Chicago Convention, December 7, 1944), which stipulates that each state has complete and exclusive sovereignty over the airspace above its territory. It also contravened Article 3(c) of the same convention, prohibiting aircraft of one state from flying over the territory of another without authorization, and point 6 of the de-escalation measures outlined in the joint declaration of the 3rd Special Meeting of the General Border Committee (GBC), signed on December 27, 2025. The Cambodian government demanded that Thailand immediately cease such activities and adhere to its commitments to de-escalate the situation, promote mutual trust, facilitate peaceful conflict resolution, and restore peace, stability, and good neighborly relations along the Cambodia-Thailand border. Despite this violation by the Thai military, the Cambodian government reiterated its unwavering commitment to resolving border issues peacefully and maintaining friendly relations between the two nations. It is noteworthy that this is not the first instance of the Thai military violating Cambodia's airspace or sovereignty. Since the ceasefire agreement on December 27, 2025, the Cambodian Ministry of Interior has previously stated that the Thai military has continuously conducted actions violating Cambodian airspace, including flying reconnaissance drones along the border. Source: Kampuchea Thmey Local