Cambodia Rejects Thai Interpretation of 'Ceasefire Statement' on Border Dispute

The Cambodian government has strongly refuted interpretations of the 'Joint Statement of December 27, 2025,' by Thai generals, emphasizing that the statement is a ceasefire agreement, not a border demarcation treaty. Minister of Information, Net Pheaktra, stated that any attempt by the Thai side to justify the presence of Thai troops within Cambodia's sovereign territory based on this statement is contrary to international law and factual evidence on the ground. According to Minister Pheaktra, the Joint Statement of December 27, 2025, particularly paragraph 2, is not considered a border demarcation treaty that supersedes the 1:200,000 scale map, which is a crucial part of the French-Siam Convention. This map serves as proof of Cambodia's legal ownership over areas where the Thai military has been illegally occupying and attempting to create a fait accompli through activities such as setting up fake markers, placing containers, building trenches, clearing land for roads, excavating canals, and destroying residents' homes and pagodas. These actions are in direct violation of international law, the 1:200,000 scale map, the French-Siam Convention, and the Joint Statement itself. The minister further emphasized that the map inherited from the French colonial era is internationally recognized, including by Thailand. Unilateral maps produced by the Thai military (such as L7017, L7018, or other unilateral maps) have no legal validity under international law and cannot replace the French-era map agreed upon by both parties. Furthermore, this map, a legacy of the French era, is the final result of the demarcation work by the Indochina-Siam Boundary Commission, which was recognized by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in 1962 and 2013. The ICJ considered this map a crucial basis for ordering the Thai military to withdraw from Cambodian territory, including the Preah Vihear Temple and the 4.6 square kilometer area, an order that Thailand has yet to comply with. Given that the Joint Statement is not a border demarcation treaty, both parties agreed to give the highest priority to the JBC mechanism and related technical mechanisms, considering it the most effective tool for de-escalating tensions. The preamble of the Joint Statement clearly states the importance of permanently demarcating the border, and paragraphs 3 and 4 mention the agreement to promote JBC meetings, technical meetings, and the dispatch of joint survey teams to the actual ground. The safety of these teams is ensured through demining under the JBC mechanism. Minister Pheaktra added that accelerating the JBC mechanism's operation is aimed at resolving issues related to border demarcation on the ground, allowing Cambodian refugees to return to their homes, and ensuring long-term stability and peace along the border between the two countries. Therefore, focusing solely on paragraph 2 and interpreting it for gain, as the Thai military is doing, is entirely contrary to the main objective of the Joint Statement, which is characterized as a ceasefire, not a border demarcation treaty that allows the Thai military to station troops and commit violations of Cambodian sovereignty. In other words, the Joint Statement is a mechanism created to de-escalate tensions, and the content of paragraph 2 is not to be interpreted as allowing one party to station troops and violate the sovereignty of the other, which is a complete violation of international law, especially the 1:200,000 scale map, a crucial part of the French-Siam Convention, and other bilateral agreements such as the MOU 2000 and TOR 2003. It must be reiterated and emphasized that Cambodia has never, under any circumstances, agreed to allow Thailand to deploy troops and carry out illegal activities on Cambodian territory. Therefore, Thailand must demonstrate genuine and sincere will, fully respect and implement the content of the Joint Statement, and translate this will into concrete actions on the ground, rather than making excuses with pleasant words that benefit public opinion but lack practical implementation. Borders are not changed by troop positions. A ceasefire stops the shooting, but it does not draw new maps. Source: AKP Khmer