Cambodia has reiterated that it “categorically rejects” Thailand’s unilateral claims over sections of the two countries’ shared border, accusing Thai troops of violating bilateral border agreements and encroaching on Cambodian territory in Oddar Meanchey province.
In a statement issued on 27 June 2026, Cambodia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation said Thai soldiers had been clearing forested areas and laying barbed wire near Border Marker No. 26 in Banteay Ampil district, Oddar Meanchey province, since early June. Phnom Penh described the activities as an attempt to shift the border further into Cambodian territory.
The ministry said Cambodia does not recognize the border line claimed unilaterally by Thailand and argued that the actions of Thai forces violate existing agreements governing the management and demarcation of the land boundary between the two countries.
According to the statement, Thailand’s actions breach Article 5 of the 2000 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU 2000) on the survey and demarcation of the Cambodia-Thailand land border, as well as Point 1 of the Joint Statement adopted during the Third Extraordinary Meeting of the General Border Committee (GBC) on 27 December 2025. That agreement committed both sides to allowing the Joint Boundary Commission (JBC) to continue border demarcation based on existing bilateral agreements.
Cambodia called on Thailand to cease what it described as “hostile acts” and to honour their shared commitments to reduce tensions and resolve border disputes through peaceful means. However, the ministry said Thai forces had continued their activities, including maintaining positions that Cambodia says are inside its territory and constructing border fencing unilaterally.
Government spokesman Pen Bona recently said Cambodia has lodged 42 formal diplomatic protests** over what it describes as Thai encroachments since July 2025. He added that Cambodia had also sent nine diplomatic notes requesting meetings of the Joint Boundary Commission (JBC)and the deployment of Joint Survey Teams (JSTs) to continue border demarcation work on the ground.
Cambodia has long maintained that the border should be demarcated using the 1:200,000-scale maps prepared by the Franco-Siamese Boundary Commission under the 1904 Franco-Siamese Convention and the 1907 Franco-Siamese Treaty. Phnom Penh has accused Thailand of relying instead on 1:50,000-scale maps, which Cambodia says were produced unilaterally, to support its territorial claims.
Thailand has not publicly responded to Cambodia’s latest statement.
