Unofficial Translation Her Excellency LTG. Maly Socheata, the Spokesperson of the Ministry of National Defense of the Kingdom of Cambodia:
Unofficial Translation Her Excellency LTG. Maly Socheata, the Spokesperson of the Ministry of National Defense of the Kingdom of Cambodia:
On September 17, 2025, at 3:30 PM, a mixed force from the Thai side including border patrol units, paramilitary personnel, black-uniformed military personnel, police, and Kok KChong villagers, in total approximately 300 people, all armed with various weapons and riot control equipment including rubber slingshots, entered lay barbed wires in Prey Chan village, O’ Bei Chorn commune, O’ Chrov district, Banteay Meanchey province. At 4:20 PM on the same day, Thailand’s mixed force used the long-range acoustic devices and gun shooting tear gas on Cambodian civilians and authority personnel. The incident occurred only several minutes after the IOT led by Malaysia had just left the site; it should be noted that the team began their inspection at Prey Chan village, O’ Bei Chorn commune, O’ Chrov district area at 1:57 PM to inspect, verify, and report the border situation.
During the above incident, the Thai forces resorted to acting violently against the Cambodian civilians by using various equipment to crack down on the crowd, and shooting slingshots loaded with ball bearings, causing severe distress to the civilians’ eardrums as well as highly affecting the brain’s nerves, which resulted in 28 individuals, including civilians, Buddhist monks being unconscious and sustaining serious and minor injuries.
At 7:22 PM, the IOT led by Malaysia revisited Prey Chan village to inspect the site of the incident caused by the Thai armed forces. The actions undertaken by the Thai armed forces constitute serious violations of the ceasefire and agreements previously reached in the GBC and RBC meetings. Furthermore, “Thailand is enforcing Martial law and its domestic law on Cambodian territory,” which is a serious violation of Cambodia’s sovereignty and international laws, including the United Nations Charter, ASEAN Charter, Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia, and other internationally recognized legal principles.
The Ministry of National Defense of the Kingdom of Cambodia emphasizes that in response to the above-mentioned actions undertaken by the Thai armed forces, Cambodian landowners and other local residents were merely motivated by their deep concerns over the Thai military’s barbed wire fencing over Cambodia’s sovereignty and by their determination to protect the properties that have been under their legal possession for many years.
During the above incident, our Cambodian forces and relevant authorities—unarmed and stationed in the area—were also present to ensure the safety of Cambodian citizens. Both our forces and authorities have carried out their duties with professionalism and high responsibility; they strictly adhered to the ceasefire agreement reached by both parties and fully committed to resolving the issue peacefully and in accordance with international law.
In this sense, Cambodia urges Thailand to firmly respect the spirit of the ceasefire, the outcomes of the Cambodia-Thailand General Border Committee (GBC) meeting, and the Cambodia-Thailand Regional Border Committee (RBC) meeting, which have been successfully held consecutively since the ceasefire entered into force on July 28, 2025, at 24 hours (local time); particularly, the Agreed Minutes of the 1st Special Cambodia-Thailand GBC meeting held on September 10, 2025 at Koh Kong province, which stipulated that both parties shall avoid actions that could escalate tensions or expand the area of disputes.
Furthermore, in line with the spirit of the 1st Special Cambodia-Thailand GBC meeting, both parties also agreed that the remaining issues beyond the jurisdiction of border units and local border authorities should be referred to the Joint Boundary Commission (JBC) for discussion and resolution in accordance with the Memorandum of Understanding between the Royal Government of Cambodia and the Royal Thai Government on the Survey and Demarcation of the Land Boundary (MOU 2000).
At the same time, Cambodia urges Thailand to avoid actions that could escalate tensions or expand the area of disputes, and instead strive to create a favorable atmosphere for the full and effective implementation of the ceasefire, including all agreements reached by both sides in meetings of the General Border Committee (GBC) and the Regional Border Committee (RBC), with consistency and firmness.
On this occasion, Cambodia reaffirms its commitment to cooperate with Thailand at all levels in order to promote peace, stability, cooperation, and development for the benefit of both countries and peoples.
