The State Secretariat of Border Affairs (SSBA) has firmly rejected each of the reasons and recommendations to revoke the MOU 2000 that have been offered by a Thai Senate ad hoc Committee, noting that they are unfounded and contravene international law. The secretariat suggested that the recommendations were clearly driven by political motives aimed at undermining the achievements made by the Joint Boundary Commission (JBC) of both parties in the past. The statement followed a recommendation by the Thai Senate committee that MOU 43 (MOU 2000) should be revoked. They argued that the MoU accepts a historic 1:200,000 scale map…
Author: Niem Chheng
Vongsey Vissoth, Minister in charge of the Office of the Council of Ministers (OCM), has reiterated the vital role the OCM plays in the public sector, serving as the secretariat to the Royal Government in managing and leading the country, resolving major national issues, promoting national development, and serving the nation and its people. As he addressed the March 23 OCM annual meeting to review the work results of 2025 and set its 2026 working directions, he stated that the OCM has established a vision of serving as “a highly capable and professional institution with the ethics to perform work…
A prominent Cambodian analyst has criticised Thailand’s recent actions along the border with Cambodia, describing them as a “calculated attempt to create facts on the ground” and a “grave violation of international law”. Kin Phea, director of the International Relations Institute at the Royal Academy of Cambodia, asserts that Thailand is pursuing a strategy of “gradual annexation” by moving in military personnel and subsequently settling Thai civilians in Cambodian territory post-ceasefire. Currently, more than a dozen locations remain occupied by the Thai military, following the December 27 ceasefire which required both Cambodia and Thailand to freeze all military activities. Despite…
Delegates from the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts expressed their profound shock and sorrow during a visit to Preah Vihear Temple, which sustained damage in 562 locations as the result of attacks by the Thai military in July and December 2025. Culture minister Phoeurng Sackona inspected the temple on March 20. She was accompanied by Kim Rithy, governor of Preah Vihear province, Kong Puthikar, director-general of the National Authority for Preah Vihear (NAPV), Hang Peou, director-general of the APSARA National Authority (ANA), and other specialists. During their visit, the minister and the other members of the delegation expressed their…
Smoke has been observed rising from three locations in the Boeung Trakuon area, which is currently under occupation by Thai armed forces. It is likely to be from Cambodian houses, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. In a March 21 press release, the ministry noted that Cambodia has lodged another formal protest against continued Thai actions that violate Cambodia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity following the December 27 ceasefire. In addition to the Boeung Trakuon area, the ministry shared that on March 18, Thai armed forces, together with Royal Forest Department and land survey officials, conducted land…
The Kingdom’s mobile, internet and other telecommunications operators expressed their commitment to joining the fight against online scams during a meeting with the Minister of Post and Telecommunications. Telecommunications minister Chea Vandeth chaired a March 19 working discussion with around 90 representatives of the Kingdom’s information technology and communications sectors. He highlighted the Royal Government’s goal of eradicating online scams and requested that all operators cooperate with the government and the ministry to eliminate these illegal activities from Cambodia, according to a ministry statement. He requested that internet service providers monitor locations with unusually high internet usage and be prepared…
The UN Office on Drugs and Crime Regional Office for Southeast Asia and the Pacific (UNODC ROSEAP) launched the #TrappedInScamCrime campaign in Cambodia today, March 19, with an awareness-raising event on trafficking in persons for forced criminality in scam centres. The event brought together nearly 130 participants, including diplomatic staff, representatives of government institutions, international organisations and civil society, students and media, according to a press release. According to the UN, the campaign aims to do more than raise awareness of the issue. It will educate people about how to spot “red flags” in recruitment ads and encourage digital platforms…
The Japanese government has adjusted the amount of grant aid it will provide for the “Expansion of the Water Supply System in Ta Khmao” project, adding an additional $1 million to the previous assistance. A statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation explained that foreign minister Prak Sokhonn and Japanese ambassador Ueno Atsushi signed an exchange of notes on the grant amendment today, March 19. The ministry noted the increase will boost the grants provided for the project, first signed in March 2020, from approximately $22 million to around $23 million. “This additional grant assistance reflects Japan’s…
Kampong Speu provincial authorities conducted a raid on a suspected online scam operation, arresting six Indonesian nationals and one Cambodian. During the March 18 operation, in Tang Krasang village, Pneay commune, Samrong Tong district, authorities seized a large amount of evidence, including 59 mobile phones and four accurate replicas of Indonesian police uniforms, as well as 60 packets of white crystalline powder, suspected to be narcotics. A Secretariat of Commission for Combating Technology Crimes (CCTC) report said that the foreign suspects confessed that they were operating an online scam site. The operation was allegedly begun by a Cambodian national named…
The publishing and sharing of videos or images depicting graphic of violent events, such as murders and traffic accidents, can severely impact the emotions of victims and their families and violates social ethics, warned the Ministry of Information. The notice follows the widespread sharing of footage of a fatal shooting in Tboung Khmum province. Footage of the shooting in Tboung Khmum, which resulted in three deaths on March 16 and was reportedly linked to a “love triangle”, was shared widely on social media, and clearly depicted the deaths. Ministry spokesperson Tep Asnarith noted that beyond this specific case, there has…