MGR Online — Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet has warned that the ceasefire between Cambodia and Thailand remains fragile, with thousands of troops still deployed face-to-face along the border and disputes over sovereignty and territorial integrity still unresolved, while calling for existing bilateral mechanisms to be revived to address the conflict.
Hun Manet stated that it has been one year since fighting began, and approximately seven months since the second ceasefire agreement on 27 October. The ceasefire remains in effect, but is still fragile, as thousands of troops continue to be deployed face-to-face along the border and no de-escalation measures regarding military forces have been put in place, Cambodian media reported, citing an interview with the Khmer leader.
Hun Manet claimed that the root cause of the dispute has not been resolved — namely sovereignty and territorial integrity under international law, in accordance with the conventions and treaties agreed upon by both sides, which amounts to the international boundary. He said the issue can be resolved through the use of existing mechanisms, including the Joint Boundary Commission, the Memorandum of Understanding of 2000, and others.
Hun Manet also cited activities occurring in the border area as a source of concern and a complicating factor, alleging that Thai military activities had encroached into Cambodian territory through the use of barbed wire and containers, and that these extended beyond the boundary line claimed unilaterally by Thailand into Cambodian territory.
He further cited other activities which he described as creating de facto facts on the ground, such as the construction of roads, infrastructure, military bunkers, and the installation of Buddha statues, as well as the destruction of Cambodian land and homes of Cambodians in areas that had previously been inhabited by thousands of people, and the parcelling out of that land and granting of title to Thai citizens. Hun Manet stated that all of this had occurred within the seven-month period, ahead of the boundary demarcation process by the Joint Boundary Commission.
The Khmer leader stated that Cambodia had sent letters of protest and complaint on multiple occasions over these concerns, requesting that the Thai side halt its activities and that the Joint Boundary Commission resume its work, but that no action had been taken thus far.
Hun Manet also rejected remarks by Thailand's Foreign Minister, who stated that Cambodia's accession to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) had caused the land boundary negotiations to stall. He countered that the reason Cambodia joined UNCLOS was because Thailand had decided to cancel the only existing bilateral agreement between the two countries on maritime boundaries — the Memorandum of Understanding of 2001 (MOU 2001) — leaving Cambodia with no choice but to enter a mediation process.
