A district governor in Kampong Cham province has instructed local officials to stop activists from collecting thumbprints for a petition to take Thailand to the International Court of Justice over a border dispute.
An audio recording, reportedly of Srey Santhor district governor Ben Lada, was circulated on Facebook on February 19, 2026. In the one-minute and 32-second clip, he can be heard directing commune chiefs and village leaders to prevent members of the Nation Power Party and other opposition groups from gathering signatures from residents.
According to the recording, Ben Lada describes the campaign as an excuse and a deception. He says such activities must not be allowed to take place in his district.
He adds that the Cambodian government is already paying close attention to allegations of Thai encroachment and that any decision to bring a border case before the International Court of Justice cannot be made arbitrarily.
The governor also states that if local authorities fail to stop the campaign, security forces should be deployed to suppress it and prevent it from continuing.
The controversy comes as a separate letter dated February 14, 2026, signed by police chief Sok Paochhim of Svay Por administrative police post, summoned Min Vuthy, a National Power Party official living in Tra village, Svay Por commune, to appear for questioning at 8.30 in the morning on February 15. The letter does not specify that the questioning relates to the thumbprint campaign, instead referring to a personal matter.
Man Nat, president of the Cambodian Watch Council, says the move amounts to a serious threat to citizens’ rights. He questions whether people are being denied the right to express patriotism and to take part in protecting national territory from alleged foreign encroachment, noting that filing a case has also been presented as a government objective.
Earlier this month, on February 10, 2026, Prime Minister Hun Manet told students who had achieved top grades that expressions of anger and pain over what he described as Thai incursions were not wrong, and that citizens have the right to freedom of expression.
Despite this, critics argue that the government, led by the ruling party, has often acted contrary to constitutional guarantees, at times threatening or arresting citizens who exercise their legal rights.
The Cambodia Daily has not yet been able to reach Ben Lada or Min Vuthy for comment.
