A group known as the October 23 Council has warned that the ongoing failure to implement the Paris Peace Accords of 1991 continues to fuel geopolitical and political conflict in Cambodia and the surrounding region.
In a statement released on July 1, the council stressed that the accords, signed by representatives of 18 countries along with the United Nations, were intended to bring lasting peace, independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity to Cambodia. The council said that all signatories, including Cambodian factions, are bound to uphold these principles to ensure regional stability.
The council argues that despite Cambodia being a signatory to the accords, the country has continued to experience instability due in part to what it describes as external interference in its internal affairs. The statement specifically points to Vietnam, which the group claims has maintained military influence in Cambodia since 1979, even after the signing of the Paris agreements, albeit in different forms.
The council also notes that China, a longtime ally of Cambodia, has sought to assert its strategic dominance in the country. It accuses Beijing of using Cambodia as a strategic geopolitical outpost to advance its ambitions in the broader Asia-Pacific region.
The statement highlights China’s role during past border tensions between Cambodia and Thailand, claiming that China took the opportunity to showcase advanced military equipment such as missile systems, fighter jets and naval vessels. The council suggests that this display of force may have dissuaded Thailand from escalating the conflict into open war.
The group raises concerns about calls by the Hun political family for national unity, which, according to the statement, have involved pressure on opposition parties and dissenting citizens to align with the ruling party. It questions whether this is in the spirit of the Paris Peace Accords or simply an extension of foreign-influenced political strategy.
Now more than three decades since the signing of the accords, the council claims that successive governments, particularly the ruling party, have ignored the agreement’s core provisions, despite repeated calls by opposition politicians and civil society for its implementation.
Hun Sen, who led Cambodia for nearly four decades, has frequently stated that the Paris Peace Accords were fully incorporated into the 1993 Constitution and are no longer legally binding. Critics argue that this interpretation has served to justify the government’s abandonment of the agreement’s broader goals of political pluralism, rule of law and democratic reform.
As Cambodia marks 34 years since the accords were signed, debate continues over their relevance and legacy, as well as the ongoing role of external powers in shaping the country’s political future.
