The Thai army, accompanied by heavy machinery such as excavators, entered An Ses, Preah Vihear province and other parts in Cambodia’s sovereign territory about 11 a.m today to lay barbed wires despite strong objections from Cambodian troops, said National Defense Ministry spokesperson Maly Socheata.
It should be noted that Cambodia organized a visit by foreign military attachès to those locations on July 30, 2025, which clearly demonstrates that those areas are within Cambodia’s territory.
A visit by the ASEAN military observer team followed on August 3, consisting of representatives from Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, and Vietnam, to Oddar Meanchey and Preah Vihear. Led by Malaysia’s Defense Attaché to Cambodia, the mission will monitor the ceasefire implementation for two weeks in the conflict-affected areas.
The latest act by Thailand constitutes a “flagrant violation” of the ceasefire and poses a grave threat to peace and security along the shared border, as well as to the wider region, Socheata said.
Cambodia called on the international community, particularly partner countries which worked hard to help Cambodia and Thailand reach a ceasefire and wished to see its full and effective implementation.
She also urged the foreign community to demand that Thailand stop its aggressive acts immediately and respect international laws, especially Cambodia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Meanwhile, provincial officials in Oddar Meanchey and Preah Vihear confirmed that residents continued to flee their homes following reports of alleged planned gunfire by the Thai side along the Cambodia-Thailand border ahead of the General Border Committee (GBC) meeting.
The ministry stated on Sunday that the Thai military planned to “launch an attack” along the border, targeting the Tamoan Thom, Ta Krabey and Preah Vihear temples, and up to An Ses area. The offensive, if carried out, would constitute a violation of Cambodia’s territorial sovereignty.
“It‘s a serious breach of the ceasefire agreement mutually agreed by both countries,” the ministry said.
However, a Thai media outlet posted on August 4 that there was “no Thai military attack against Cambodia” as claimed by the ministry, which mentioned that the attack was “imminent”.
During Monday’s press briefing, spokesperson Socheata said from midnight on August 4, 2025, until 11:00 a.m today, the situation along the frontline in the border provinces remained calm and stable. However, conditions changed with the entry of Thai forces to An Ses area with machinery to lay the barbed wires.
“Cambodian military armed forces stand strong and remain vigilant in carrying out their duty,” Socheata said, adding that Cambodia commits to respect and implement the ceasefire agreement signed on July 28, 2025 in Malaysia.
The GBC meeting, which has been organized as part of the ceasefire deal after five days of border fighting with Thailand, takes place from August 4 to 7, kicking off with the GBC secretariat meeting and ending with the full GBC talks on the final day.
Senate president Hun Sen posted on Sunday evening that he would command the army “24/7” assuming the planned attack by the Thai side takes place.
He said Cambodian frontline commanders are strictly complying with the ceasefire and maintaining high vigilance against possible violations by the opposing side.
Regarding the detention of 18 Cambodian soldiers by the Thai military after the ceasefire deal, Hun Sen said groups are coordinating efforts to seek assistance from the International Committee of Red Cross for their safe return.
The Thai government’s Public Relations Department said the soldiers are now classified as “prisoners of war” (POWs) under the Geneva Convention, and will only be “released and repatriated once the armed conflict concludes”, according to a statement posted on its website.
The department said the POW designation was “not punitive”, but establishes their “protected status under international law”. The Thai side returned only two soldiers to Cambodia who arrived in poor health.
Spokesperson Socheata reiterated that negotiations with Thailand are ongoing, and called the international community to intervene to ensure their safe repatriation.
Residents in the border provinces of Oddar Meanchey and Preah Vihear have continued moving to safer locations or staying with relatives overnight due to security concerns. Local authorities confirmed the displacements but said no official figures are available yet.
Resident Thun Sothan, who fled Oddar Meanchey with his wife and seven-year-old grandson on July 25, has taken refuge in a shelter in Srei Snam district in Siem Reap province.
The 50-year-old is among 600 families, who are currently living in difficult conditions while fearing the conflict.
“Living here for many days has been very difficult due lack of bathing water, sleeping places and food, as well as cramped conditions due to the number of people here. Some people have motorcycles to go outside, including to relieve themselves,” Sothan said.
He said they are allowed to be inside and outside the pagoda, where some tents have been pitched along the perimeter, but they can only sleep at night. During the day, they go outside, which makes living hard amid fears.
“Last night, I saw many drones flying and heard the news from the ministry that there might be another conflict, which forced me to return to the shelter again,” he said.
Sothan said to date, all the refugees cannot go anywhere because local authorities have not allowed them to leave, as the conflict has not ended. However, Sothan has been able to check on his house twice at night.
As of July 31, a total of 172,094 civilians were displaced from five provinces in Cambodia, the ministry said. No further updates were given since then. The ministry did not respond to questions on the latest number of refugees.
(Additional reporting by Long Somneang)
