Cambodian Leader Claims Thai Forces Violate Ceasefire Despite Foreign Mediation

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet has alleged that Thai military forces continue to occupy disputed territory despite a ceasefire agreement brokered with international involvement last year, according to sources familiar with the matter.

The Cambodian leader reportedly told foreign media that Thai soldiers have pushed beyond previously contested areas into what the nation considers undisputed Cambodian territory. According to Cambodian officials, Thai forces have allegedly sealed off villages with barbed wire and shipping containers, preventing approximately 80,000 citizens from returning to their homes.

“The occupation is beyond even Thailand’s unilateral claim,” Manet reportedly stated. “Many of the villagers cannot go back to their hometowns.”

Observers note that Cambodia and Thailand have maintained competing territorial claims for decades over sections of their 500-mile shared border, much of which was demarcated during the French colonial period. The dispute has periodically erupted into armed confrontations, particularly around areas near historic temple sites and rural communities where boundary demarcation remains incomplete.

Tensions reportedly escalated again last year, with fighting breaking out along contested frontier areas and displacing thousands of civilians on both sides. The clashes prompted diplomatic intervention and culminated in a ceasefire agreement facilitated through international mediation during a regional summit.

Images and local reporting from recent conflicts show damage to buildings near the frontier, including areas around the UNESCO-listed Preah Vihear temple complex, raising concerns among heritage preservation advocates about cultural sites in contested zones. Cambodian officials have blamed Thai forces for the damage, while Thai authorities have reportedly denied deliberately targeting religious or cultural landmarks, maintaining that military operations were limited to contested security areas.

Thai embassy officials could not be reached for comment on the allegations.

Despite the territorial claims, Manet reportedly declined to threaten military retaliation against the neighboring country.

“Our position is to always stick to peaceful resolutions,” the leader reportedly said. “We don’t believe that using war to stop a war is sustainable or practical.”

Analysts note that Thailand, with a population exceeding 70 million compared to Cambodia’s 17 million, maintains a significantly larger and better-equipped military, creating an asymmetric dynamic in any potential renewed conflict.

With fighting again threatening regional stability, Manet reportedly traveled to the capital of a major power this week for diplomatic consultations aimed at addressing the territorial dispute.

“International mediation can play an active role in promoting peace, stability and normalcy between Cambodia and Thailand,” Manet reportedly stated.

Hun Manet assumed office in 2023, succeeding his father Hun Sen, who ruled the nation for nearly four decades. The leadership transition marked the first formal handover of power in decades, though the ruling party has maintained firm control over the country’s political system amid longstanding criticism from rights groups regarding restrictions on opposition activity.

A graduate of a foreign military academy, Manet has reportedly sought to maintain close ties with regional powers while cautiously reopening diplomatic channels with other major nations, including restoring joint military exercises that had been suspended in 2017.

As the nation navigates tensions with its neighbor, it continues balancing relations between competing global powers. Manet reportedly said that managing ties with rival nations “doesn’t have to be a zero-sum game” and that Cambodia, as a smaller nation, cannot afford to “choose one country against the other.”

This balancing act has centered partly on Ream Naval Base, a strategic facility on the nation’s southern coast rebuilt with foreign financing. A foreign warship recently docked at Ream, marking the first such visit since the base was renovated with funding and technical support from another major power. The visit created a notable visual contrast, with the visiting vessel docked approximately 150 meters from a foreign naval ship already moored at the base.

For years, international observers have raised concerns about potential exclusive access arrangements at the facility.

However, Manet reportedly insisted the base remains under national control, citing constitutional provisions that prohibit foreign military installations on the country’s territory.

The recent naval visit, he reportedly said, “clearly shows that Cambodia is not exclusively used” for military cooperation with any single foreign power.

Manet also confirmed that suspended annual military exercises with a major power, halted in 2017, will reportedly resume this year, signaling improving defense relations.

“We hope to have expanding cooperation,” the leader reportedly stated.

In recent years, the nation has reportedly emerged as a center for large-scale online fraud operations, including sophisticated scamming schemes that have allegedly defrauded victims worldwide out of billions of dollars. International authorities have imposed sanctions on entities linked to cryptocurrency fraud and pressed the government to intensify enforcement efforts amid concerns about trafficking and forced labor connected to some criminal compounds.

Manet reportedly said his administration has increased cooperation with foreign law enforcement and recently worked with international investigators to dismantle a major operation.

“We have recently worked with foreign authorities cracking down on a major case involving one of the influential figures,” he reportedly said. “We arrested him, and we closed down one of the big compounds.”