Phnom Penh Rejects Bangkok’s Claim on Border Talks
Phnom Penh Rejects Bangkok’s Claim on Border Talks
PHNOM PENH, 20 July 2026 — Cambodia has rejected remarks by Thailand’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow that Phnom Penh’s decision to pursue compulsory conciliation under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) had effectively halted negotiations on the two countries’ land border.
In a statement issued on Monday, Cambodia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation described the claim as “simply not true,” stressing that the maritime and land boundary issues are governed by separate legal frameworks and bilateral mechanisms.
The ministry said Cambodia’s recourse to the UNCLOS conciliation process concerns only the maritime boundary and does not affect land border demarcation.
It added that UNCLOS provides an agreed and peaceful mechanism for resolving maritime disputes and should not be used as a justification for suspending work on land boundary demarcation through the Joint Boundary Commission (JBC), as provided for under the 14 June 2000 Memorandum of Understanding and reaffirmed in the 27 December 2025 ceasefire agreement.
The statement also said Thailand had previously withdrawn unilaterally from the agreed bilateral framework for negotiating maritime issues despite Cambodia’s request that it remain engaged. It further noted that Thailand had, on several occasions, indicated its own intention to rely on UNCLOS to address maritime issues.
Cambodia called on Thailand to stop creating what it described as pretexts for delaying the demarcation process and to return in good faith to implementing the agreements already reached under the 2000 Memorandum of Understanding and the 2025 ceasefire arrangement.
According to the ministry, there is no legal or practical reason to delay land boundary demarcation through the Joint Boundary Commission while the separate maritime conciliation process under UNCLOS proceeds.
The statement also referred to a resolution adopted by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Francophonie on 11 July 2026, saying it reaffirmed support for Cambodia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, called for de-escalation of tensions and backed the resumption of the Joint Boundary Commission’s demarcation work.
The ministry further said the international community expects Thailand to respect the International Court of Justice’s 1962 and 2013 judgments concerning the Temple of Preah Vihear and to carry out land boundary delimitation in accordance with the 1904 and 1907 treaties, as reaffirmed in the 2000 Memorandum of Understanding.
The statement concluded by asserting that indefinitely delaying the border demarcation process in order to maintain what it described as the unlawful occupation and annexation of Cambodian territory would violate the principles of the United Nations Charter and the ASEAN Charter.
