Cambodia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation said on October 24, 2026 that the government had lodged another formal protest over what it described as Thailand’s continuing violations of Cambodian sovereignty and territorial integrity along the border.
According to the ministry, on October 15, 2026, Thai armed forces used heavy machinery to clear land and build a road in the Ta Tum area of Anlong Veng district, Oddar Meanchey province, between border pillars 9, 10 and 11. On October 17, the forces then sprayed red paint on trees between pillars 10 and 11 in the same area in preparation for further road construction.
The Cambodian government strongly protested the activities, which it regarded as violations of Cambodia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. It said they contravened relevant border delimitation documents and bilateral agreements between Cambodia and Thailand.
The Cambodian government’s position is that the boundary must be based on the 1:200,000-scale maps produced by the Commission for the Delimitation of the Boundary between Indochina and Siam in accordance with the 1904 Franco-Siamese Convention and the 1907 Franco-Siamese Treaty.
Cambodia also said the activities contravened Article 5 of the Memorandum of Understanding between the governments of Cambodia and Thailand on the Survey and Demarcation of the Land Boundary, signed on June 14, 2000, as well as point 1 on measures to reduce tensions in the Joint Statement of the Third Special Meeting of the General Border Committee (GBC) on December 27, 2025.
The Cambodian government reiterated that it did not recognise any boundary line or territorial claim unilaterally determined by Thailand. It stressed that the activities could not affect Cambodia’s legitimate rights and position regarding its international boundary.
Cambodia also called on Thailand to stop the activities it considered illegal and to refrain from unilateral measures, in order to reduce tensions, restore trust between the two countries and maintain peace, stability and good neighbourly relations along the border.
The Cambodian government reaffirmed its commitment to resolving border issues with Thailand and all neighbouring countries peacefully, in accordance with international law and existing bilateral agreements. It emphasised its principle that international boundaries must not be changed through the use of force.
