According to the Cambodian Human Rights Committee, Cambodia’s Alternate Representative to the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR), Pa Ponnarada, called for urgent measures to help more than 32,000 displaced Cambodians return home. Speaking at AICHR’s 43rd meeting in Jakarta, Indonesia, he said Thai troops continued to place barbed wire and shipping containers on Cambodian territory, obstructing their return.
In the committee’s press release dated May 22, 2026, Pa Ponnarada described the serious impact on the human rights of more than 32,000 displaced civilians. He said the continued placement of barbed wire and shipping containers by Thai troops failed to respect the Cambodia-Thailand ceasefire agreement of December 27, 2025, under which both sides agreed to allow civilians to return home and resume their livelihoods safely, with dignity and without obstruction.
He called for urgent and necessary measures to facilitate safe and dignified returns and to stop the destruction of civilian property and infrastructure, protecting displaced people’s fundamental rights in accordance with international law. He reiterated Cambodia’s position that border issues should be resolved peacefully through dialogue and respect for international law, to safeguard peace, stability and human rights.
By: ង៉ែត ពិសាន្ត
