Government Spokesperson condemns violence by Thai forces against Cambodian civilians and calls on Thai authorities to respect the ceasefire agreement

H.E. Pen Bona, Government Spokesperson for the Kingdom of Cambodia

In a press statement concerning the incident of violence in Prey Chan Village, O’Bichan Commune, Ou Chrov District, Banteay Meanchey Province, delivered at the Office of the Council of Ministers in the afternoon of 17 September 2025, H.E. Pen Bona, Government Spokesperson, declared that:

At 3:44 p.m., Thai armed forces, together with Thai riot control police equipped with batons, shields, and other tools, re-entered the territory of Prey Chan Village, O’Bichan Commune, Ou Chrov District, Banteay Meanchey Province, in an attempt to encircle and seize land long inhabited and cultivated by Cambodian citizens.

H.E. Pen Bona continued that Thai forces fired rubber bullets and tear gas canisters at Cambodian civilians, causing severe eye irritation, while also using sound devices that affected hearing and the nervous system. Furthermore, they committed acts of violence against Cambodian civilians by employing suppression equipment and firing slingshots with steel balls, which resulted in at least 28 civilians and monks collapsing and sustaining both serious and minor injuries.

In response to this violence, the Spokesperson of the Royal Government of Cambodia strongly condemned the violent actions perpetrated by the Thai authorities against Cambodian civilians and monks. He also urgently called upon the Thai authorities to immediately cease all forms of violations and violence, and demanded that the Thai side respect the ceasefire agreement, uphold the spirit of the meetings of the General Border Committee (GBC) and Regional Border Committee (RBC), abide by Article 4, Point 2 of the 2000 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), as well as adhere to human rights principles and international humanitarian law.