TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN : An Urgent Cry from Cambodia: Protect Civilians, Stop the War

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN : An Urgent Cry from Cambodia: Protect Civilians, Stop the War

I write not as a politician, but as a survivor—a Cambodian who lived through genocide and decades of war, and who now watches in anguish as my country is once again plunged into an unprovoked war and violence by its neighbor Thailand.

Since 7 December 2025 up to the time I am writing this Open Letter, Thai military forces have carried out sustained and indiscriminate attacks across Cambodian provinces, including Oddar Meanchey, Preah Vihear, Banteay Meanchey, Pursat, Battambang, Siem Reap, and Koh Kong. These are not military abstractions; they are homes, schools, temples, markets, civilian communities. etc.

Innocent lives have been lost, children, elders, and families have been killed, wounded, and forced to flee. Ancient temples and civilian infrastructure—symbols of Cambodia’s soul—have been destroyed. For a people who survived genocide, displacement and terror reopen wounds the world once promised would never happen again.

This unprovoked war of aggression is a grave crime against peace, a violation of Cambodia’s sovereignty, and a breach of the UN Charter, ASEAN Charter, the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation, and the Joint Peace Statement signed on 26 October 2025. Of grave concern is the indiscriminate use of F-16, Gripen and T 50TH fighter jets to bomb civilian areas deep inside Cambodia, violating the most basic human right—the right to life.

I urgently appeal to the international community: do not look away. Silence today will be remembered as complicity tomorrow. I call for immediate action to stop the violence, protect civilians, hold perpetrators accountable, and restore peace.
The Cambodian people are not asking for revenge. We are asking for protection, justice, and the right to live without fear. War will bring only suffering—to both Cambodian and Thai people alike.

Those of us who survived genocide know the cost of international indifference.
Please—do not let history repeat itself in silence.

With sorrow and urgent hope,
CHAN MAKARA, A Cambodian citizen
Retired civil servant
Survivor of genocide and war