Hun Manet Calls for Lawful Border Talks Amid Thai Force Threats
Hun Manet Calls for Lawful Border Talks Amid Thai Force Threats
Phnom Penh – 8 December 2025 – In an official statement published on the verified Facebook page of Samdech Thipadei Hun Manet, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Cambodia, on the evening of 8 December 2025, serious concern was expressed over Thailand’s recent military posture along the Cambodia–Thailand border.
The statement highlighted deep alarm following reports that Thailand’s 1st Army Area announced its intention to use military force to “reclaim” what it refers to as sovereign territory, including the mobilization of troops and artillery fire near Prey Chan and Chouk Chey villages and other locations in Banteay Meanchey Province.
The Prime Minister underlined that such actions stand in sharp contradiction to Thailand’s repeated public commitments, made through international media and diplomatic platforms, that it is a peace-loving nation that respects international law. The reported actions were described as destabilizing and inconsistent with the principles of peaceful coexistence and good-neighborly relations.
The statement reaffirmed that genuine respect for peace and international law must be demonstrated through strict adherence to peaceful dispute-settlement mechanisms already agreed upon by both countries. The use of military force near civilian communities under any justification was described as incompatible with international legal and humanitarian obligations.
The Prime Minister emphasized Cambodia’s unwavering respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all neighboring states, while firmly rejecting any act that violates Cambodia’s own territorial integrity. He recalled that Cambodia and Thailand jointly established the Cambodia–Thailand Joint Boundary Commission (JBC), which has worked for more than two decades based on internationally recognized historical and legal documents, including the 1908–1909 and 1919–1920 boundary records.
According to the statement, both sides had recently agreed to deploy joint technical teams to conduct surveys and install temporary boundary markers along the border. Progress was noted as nearly complete between Boundary Pillars No. 52–59 in Battambang Province, while survey work between Pillars No. 42–47 in Banteay Meanchey Province has been proceeding smoothly in line with agreed technical and legal frameworks.
The Prime Minister expressed firm concern that the declaration by Thailand’s 1st Army Area to use military force in the vicinity of Banteay Meanchey (Cambodia) and Sa Kaeo (Thailand) runs counter to the spirit of peaceful resolution and established international commitments.
The statement concluded with a call for Thailand to demonstrate sincerity by returning fully to peaceful, lawful, and transparent mechanisms for border delimitation. Cambodia reaffirmed that it harbors no intent to violate the lawful sovereignty of any nation and pledged to respect mutually agreed survey outcomes, urging Thailand to act with the same restraint, responsibility, and good faith.
