Cambodia’s Border Affairs Secretariat denies Thai Facebook claim and confirms that Prey Chan village has not yet agreed on final border demarcation

Cambodia’s Border Affairs Secretariat denies Thai Facebook claim and confirms that Prey Chan village has not yet agreed on final border demarcation

-Khmer Times-

Cambodia’s Border Affairs Secretariat has rejected Thai social media claims and confirmed that Prey Chan village, O Bei Choan commune, O Chrov district, Banteay Meanchey province, is a geographical area where Cambodia has not yet agreed on the final border demarcation.

The statement from the Secretariat of Border Affairs came after a Facebook page called “Royal Thai Army: Update” published that Prey Chan village, located between border posts 42 and 43, belongs to Thailand, accompanied by two documents signed between Cambodia and Thailand.

The Secretariat of Border Affairs stated that the document posted by the above Facebook page is merely a map showing the geographical features and location of the border posts, which is an appendix to the minutes dated November 24, 2017 and an appendix to the minutes dated December 28, 2016 of the Cambodian-Thai joint survey team on the results of exploring the exact location of border posts No. 42 and No. 43, which were set during the French era, and is not a map or document confirming the border line.

The statement, entitled ‘Press Statement of Rejection of False Information’ reads:

‘Recently, the State Secretariat of Border Affairs (SSBA) has encountered the information posted by the Facebook Page named “Royal Thai Army: Update” on 19 September 2025, with the Field Plan Showing the Terrain and Exact Location of Boundary Pillar. These materials are the annexes to the Report of the Fact-Finding Mission dated 24 November 2017 and 28 December 2016, produced by the Cambodia-Thailand Joint Survey Teams, to determine the exact locations of Boundary Pillar No. 42 and No. 43 in the Prey Chan area. This Facebook post has caused misunderstanding and led to confusion suggesting that a State Secretariat of Border Affairs’ leadership (H.E. Lay Siengly) had officially signed and recognized the boundary line in the Prey Chan area located between Boundary Pillar No. 42 and No. 43.

The State Secretariat of Border Affairs would like to officially reject and completely dismiss this false, unprofessional, and malicious information, which has misused documents and distorted facts with the clear intention of misleading both national and international public opinion.

To provide the truth to the national and international public, the State Secretariat of Border Affairs would like to state the following points:

1. The documents shown in the aforementioned Facebook Page are merely Field Plan Showing the Terrain and Exact Location of Boundary Pillar, which are annexes the Report of the Results dated 24 November 2017 and 28 December 2016, prepared by the Cambodia-Thailand Joint Survey Team regarding the Results of the Fact-Finding Mission on the Condition and Location of Boundary Pillar No. 42 and No. 43, which were installed during the French colonial period. These are not official maps or documents that define the boundary line.

2. The administrator of the aforementioned Facebook Page used data from these Field Plan Showing the Terrain and Exact Location of the Boundary Pillar to falsely produce a boundary line on satellite image, with intent to mislead the national and international public into believing that this fabricated boundary line was the official one agreed by the Cambodia-Thailand Joint Survey Teams.

3. The Prey Chan area, located between Boundary Pillar No. 42 and No. 43, is a region where both parties have not yet reached any mutual agreement to demarcate the boundary on the ground. This matter must be resolved by the Cambodia-Thailand Joint Boundary Commission (JBC), and no other mechanism or institution has the mandate over this issue.
Once again, the State Secretariat of Border Affairs strongly rejects and condemns the false and fabricated information posted by the Facebook Page named “Royal Thai Army: Update”, and would like to call on both national and international public not to believe or share such fake news. Furthermore, the State Secretariat of Border Affairs encourages the widespread sharing and dissemination of this official statement for a better understanding of the general public while promoting the truth over this matter.

Phnom Penh, 20 September 2025′