The Ministry of Interior has issued a scathing condemnation of Thailand’s Sa Kaeo provincial administration and the Thai armed forces for their continued encroachment on Cambodian sovereign territory and the mistreatment of Cambodian citizens. The ministry spokesperson unit noted that the latest Thai incursion —in Banteay Meanchey’s Prey Chan village, in O Beichoan commune, Ou Chrov district, on October 10 — has caused deep concerns and sparked outrage both domestically and internationally, including among some conscientious Thai citizens. Thai soldiers used armoured bulldozers to clear rice fields in Prey Chan. The soldiers had previously erected razor wire barricades to prevent…
Author: Niem Chheng
The Kampot Provincial Court is holding three Chinese men on charges related to the August death of a South Korean national, who was kidnapped and tortured, allegedly after becoming involved in an online scam operation. The authorities identified two additional suspects and are currently conducting a manhunt. Following recent reporting in South Korean media, the court prosecutor’s office released details of the case. Three men were charged with murder on August 11, just three days after the body of Park Minho, 22, was discovered, explained the statement. The prosecutor’s office noted that a police patrol unit became suspicious of three…
Cambodia’s Ambassador to the UN in Geneva has elaborated on the importance of multilateralism, citing Thailand’s unilateral actions for territorial expansion into Cambodia as a prime example of its absence. Dara In, permanent representative of Cambodia to the UN in Geneva, addressed the General Debate during the UN’s Executive Committee of the High Commissioner’s Programme (ExCom), on October 8. He stated that Cambodia had experienced displacement, endured conflict and subsequently rebuilt through law, solidarity and cooperation. The country has collaborated with the UN and UNHCR to protect the vulnerable, host those seeking refuge and contribute to peacekeeping, demining and humanitarian…
Eighteen Cambodian soldiers, detained by Thai armed forces the day after the July 28 ceasefire, received a welcome visit from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), yesterday, October 9. The ICRC delivered letters and other messages from the captured men’s friends and families, while also collecting messages from the prisoners. The men are being held by the Thai military’s Second Army Region, which insists that the men are legal prisoners of war (POWs). The second region command announced the visit, noting that ICRC representatives had conducted an official visit and interviewed the 18 Cambodian “POWs” at their facility.…
Cambodia’s 51st Infantry Brigade has asked Thailand’s Burapha Task Force to halt today’s planned demining activities in Banteay Meanchey province’s Chouk Chey and Prey Chan villages. The October 9 request was issued a day after the Thai task force announced plans to clear mines in the disputed territory, where Cambodians have lived and farmed for generations. The two villages border Thailand’s Nong Chan Nong and Ya Keo villages, in Sa Kaeo province. The 51st Infantry Brigade reminded the Thai side that a three-stage process for the implementation of demining operations on the border was agreed to at the First Special…
Cambodian government spokesperson Pen Bona has called on Thailand to demonstrate restraint and goodwill towards peacefully resolving the current border issues, through existing bilateral mechanisms, treaties and international laws. In a statement released this evening, October 9, Bona noted that Cambodia has observed how Thai leaders and officials at all levels have repeatedly exaggerated and distorted the truth about the border issues between Cambodia and Thailand, by accusing Cambodia of firing first and violating the terms of the ceasefire terms, as well as encroaching on Thai territory and threatening its national security. He remarked that Thailand has consistently portrayed itself…
A Ministry of Information spokesperson has warned that the proliferation of fake news — especially concerning the ongoing border tensions with Thailand — have affected the morale of the Kingdom’s troops, as well as the implementation of many of the mechanisms which the government is using to try and resolve issues with their Thai counterparts. The information ministry’s Anti-Fake News Commission identified 1,053 cases of fake news from July to September, including 857 AI-generated items which related to the border conflict. Ministry spokesperson Tep Asnarith noted that the ministry has worked with social media companies like Meta and TikTok to…
The Cambodian Human Rights Committee (CHRC) has reiterated its appeal to the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Adequate Housing Office concerning the actions of the Thai military, who have forced Cambodians from their homes in Banteay Meanchey province. In an October 9 letter to Balakrishnan Rajagopal, the housing special rapporteur at the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Special Rapporteur Branch, CHRC president Keo Remy once again outlined how Thai soldiers have laid razor wire barricades, blocked access to homes and farmland, and threatened the rights and safety of many Cambodian civilians living along the border. The letter…
The recent armed conflict along the Cambodia-Thailand border, coupled with external mediation efforts, has exposed deep fissures within the ASEAN, prompting several leading analysts to call for radical reforms to strengthen the bloc’s role beyond rhetoric. The crisis led to widespread concerns that ASEAN, an organisation founded on the principles of regional peace, is failing its members when internal disputes turn violent. The October 8 Phnom Penh Forum 2025, organised by the Royal Academy of Cambodia’s International Relations Institute, provided an opportunity for the analysts to share and discuss their views. Chheng Kimlong, president of the Asian Vision Institute (AVI),…
Senate president Hun Sen has suggested that the Royal Government and authorities at all levels track down and punish any corrupt officials or smugglers who import Thai goods into the country while the land border is closed. He warned that continued Thai imports could give Thai people the wrong impression, by suggesting Cambodians cannot survive without them. He believed that this may encourage Thai people to “look down” on Cambodians. “If I were still prime minister, I wouldn’t need to use this kind of language; I would just issue an order to arrest them or remove them from office right…