During the general debate of the 77th session of the Executive Committee of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Programme, His Excellency Ke Sovann, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Cambodia to the United Nations Office at Geneva, responded to the statement of His Excellency the Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Thailand to the United Nations Office at Geneva by reaffirming Cambodia's position on the border situation between the two countries. Cambodia rejected the claims made by the Thai delegation as baseless and not reflective of the actual situation on the ground. Cambodia stressed that it did not initiate the conflict, and that tensions escalated after Thai troops fired upon a Cambodian military position on 28 May 2025, which resulted in the death of one Cambodian soldier. Regarding the issue of refugees, Cambodia pointed out that its civilians had been forced to flee their homes in Cambodian territory because of the border conflict and attacks by Thai armed forces.
With regard to the refugee and border issues, Cambodia cited the records of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, which confirmed that the final repatriation of Cambodian refugees from camps in Thailand was completed in March 1999 and that all the camps had been closed. Cambodia also stressed that the border between the two countries is defined by the 1904 Convention and the 1907 Treaty between France and Siam, as well as the 1:200,000-scale map, which both sides must respect. With respect to the landmine incidents involving Thai soldiers, Cambodia clarified that it has not laid any new anti-personnel mines and that those mines are remnants from past civil war-era activities, located in old minefields in Cambodian territory. Cambodia reiterated its commitment to fulfilling its obligations under the Ottawa Convention. Moreover, Cambodia stated that the joint statement of 27 December 2025 cannot be considered a legal basis for the occupation of Cambodian territory by Thai armed forces, or for permission to destroy Cambodian homes, civilian infrastructure and cultural property.By: Sophork
