Cambodia Pushes Back on Thai UN Envoy Claims About Border Villages

Cambodia's Interior Ministry has dismissed statements by Thailand's UN envoy claiming that residents of Chok Chey and Prey Chan crossed into Thai territory, arguing that a single claim cannot define a legal frontier.

Spokesman Toch Sokhak said on September 30 that Phnom Penh also rejected Bangkok's demand that it stop raising border issues at international forums. The comments followed remarks by Thai ambassador and permanent UN representative Cherdchai Chaivaivid during the 81st session of the UN General Assembly on September 28.

The Thai representative said Cambodians had remained in areas created as temporary shelters in the 1970s, failed to return to their homes, and were thereby intruding on Thai territory.

Sokhak said Bangkok's recurring accusations could not transform a one-sided statement into a legal fact. He argued that legal boundaries do not come from statements or maps alone, and they cannot be created by troops, shipping containers, fencing or other changes imposed on the ground.

He cited Thai official papers that, in his account, accept the 1904 Franco-Siamese Convention, the 1907 treaty and associated maps as the basis of the Cambodia-Thailand border, and point to the 2000 Memorandum of Understanding as setting up Joint Boundary Commission work to survey and demarcate it.

According to Sokhak, if Thailand believes it has a clear legal basis for the areas it claims, it should provide maps, coordinates and supporting documents for verification with Cambodia under the JBC process both sides agreed to use.

Displaced residents and ceasefire commitments

The ministry spokesman said references to 1970s shelters did not address the main problem facing the two countries. He said tens of thousands of Cambodian citizens still cannot return home while Thai forces remain in territory Cambodia considers its own.

He recalled that Cambodia's UN representative said in late July that more than 20,000 Cambodians remained displaced.

Sokhak accused Thailand of picking historical references to distract from what he called the core questions: why Cambodians are still unable to return home and why joint JBC surveying has not been used to settle competing territorial claims.

He also cited the Joint Statement from the third special General Border Committee (GBC) meeting, signed by Cambodia and Thailand on December 27, 2025. The statement says ceasefire arrangements do not prejudice border demarcation or the international boundary, calls for JBC work to resume, and requires that affected civilians be allowed to go home and resume normal lives safely, with dignity and without obstacles.

Peaceful advocacy, not silence

He said a ceasefire should not be seen as successful merely because heavy fighting has ended. In Cambodia's view, it also means no military advances, no new facts on the ground, no blocking of demarcation, and safe civilian returns.

On Thailand's request that Cambodia avoid raising border issues in international settings, he said Cambodia would not stay silent while sovereignty, territorial integrity and citizen safety remain unresolved.

He said peaceful advocacy matches the UN Charter, which requires states to settle disputes peacefully and respect one another's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

As long as Thai military actions violate Cambodia's sovereignty, block returns or create new conditions on the ground, Cambodia will continue to speak up, present evidence and use bilateral, regional and international mechanisms, Sokhak said.

He urged Thailand to follow documents it signed and settle differences through agreed channels. He also said Cambodia would not accept a border defined by force, by claims made only one side, or by demands that Phnom Penh keep quiet about unresolved problems.