UPDATES
Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Ministry spokesperson Chum Sounry said Cambodia has submitted a formal protest to Thailand on their army’s incursions into Cambodian territory, noting that they are violations of the country’s sovereignty, bilateral agreements, and international law.
He listed the key points of the official protest to the Thai side:
On August 12–13, 2025, 10 Thai soldiers reportedly moved barricades and laid barbed wire beyond their previous position, establishing a post inside Cambodia’s territory in Choukchey village, O’Beichoan commune in Banteay Meanchey province.
On August 13, Thai troops moved into Prey Chan village, in O’Beichoan commune, where they laid barbed wire and deployed vehicles. On the same day, Thai forces built a wooden outpost in Ekpheap village, Veal Veng district, Pursat province.
They dug trenches to the west and north of Ta Moan Thom temple, and also deployed dogs equipped with GPS devices and cameras at Ta Krabei temple.
Military actions have expanded the conflict into civilian areas, including Choukchey and Prey Chan villages, displacing residents, losing homes, and depriving people of their livelihoods — amounting to violations of fundamental human rights.
Sounry stressed that the actions breached the ceasefire agreement reached on July 28, 2025, in Malaysia, as well as the agreed minutes of the Joint Border Committee (JBC) meeting.
The Regional Border Committee (RBC) meeting between Cambodia’s Military Region 3 and Thailand’s Chanthaburi-Trat Border Defense Command is set to begin today in Trat province to ensure both countries implement a complete ceasefire, said National Defense Ministry spokesperson Maly Socheata.
The RBC meeting which is taking place two weeks after the Joint Border Committee (JBC) meeting in Kuala Lumpur on August 7, 2025, will discuss ongoing border issues, including mine clearance.
After both countries agreed to extend the ceasefire terms, including a ban on new troop movements and reinforcements, Cambodia alleged that the Thai military was breaching the agreement by illegally building fences using barbed wire and tires, and constructing roads at several sites.
At a press briefing, government spokesperson Pen Bona said Cambodia will remain “patient” as a key factor in upholding the ceasefire, which was agreed upon during a special meeting in Malaysia, with the United States and China in attendance.
“We must understand that if we lose patience, we would instantly become the ones causing trouble. This is what we must be careful about — it’s exactly what they [Thai troops] are trying to achieve,” Bona said.
He noticed that the Thai side has tried “multiple ways” to cause trouble along the border including the building of the fence, shooting slingshots, use of “psychological warfare”, and “fabricated false information”. The latest incident occurred in Banteay Meanchey where the Thai military laid barbed wire and tires along the border.
However, the Thai side claimed that the barbed wire fence is “within their territory” which has been “recognised” for a long time, according to Thai media reports.
The Interim Observer Team (IOT) comprising defence attachés from seven countries inspected the conflict areas in Banteay Meanchey province as well as An Ses, Preah Vihear province on Thursday and Friday.
A resident, Hul Malis, whose home was cordoned off by a barbed wire fence laid by Thai soldiers in O’Beichoan commune, Banteay Meanchey, said she met with the IOT and shared her account of how the Thai soldiers encroached her land.
“I met them but they don’t have any solution yet,” Malis said, adding that she is living in a makeshift tent provided by local residents after the authorities delivered food supplies.
During the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Yunnan province on Thursday, Chinese Foreign Affair Minister Wang Yi discussed the border issue with Cambodian Foreign Affairs Minister Prak Sokhonnn and Thai Foreign Affair Minister Maris Sangiampongsa, according to Reuters.
He held a separate meeting and a three-way meeting with the ministers, and expressed support for Thailand and Cambodia to resolve the border dispute and offered to provide assistance based on the wishes of both nations.
Reuters also reported that China promised to assist landmine clearance in the border areas, with the three ministers agreeing continued communication in a “flexible manner”.
