An Open Letter to Sihasak Phuangketkeow

Thai foreign minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow addressed the UN Human Rights Council, claiming his nation wants nothing but peace. Supplied

#opinion

Your Excellency,

Before the UN Human Rights Council, you recently claimed that Thailand has held “nothing but good intentions” toward Cambodia and has “never” sought confrontation. You argued that Thai peace is inseparable from Cambodian peace.

To an international audience, these words sound like statesmanship. To those of us who live with the reality of the border, they sound like a calculated distortion of the truth. Peace is not a performance given in Geneva; it is a practice maintained on the frontier.

The Reality Behind the Rhetoric

If Thailand’s intentions are as pure as you claim, how do you explain the following?

The Use of Force: Why has Thai military might be deployed in disputed zones, leading to the loss of Cambodian lives?
Altering the Earth: Military incursions, the digging of trenches and the bulldozing of contested terrain are not the actions of a “peaceful neighbour”.” They are unilateral attempts to create “facts on the ground” before a legal verdict can be reached.
Legal Avoidance: If Thailand respects international law, why the hesitation to submit all disputes unequivocally to the International Court of Justice (ICJ)? Why favour military presence over binding adjudication?
A Selective Memory of History

History is not a menu from which you can pick and choose. The Franco-Siamese Treaty of 1904 and the 1962 ICJ judgment on Preah Vihear are not suggestions — they are the foundational pillars of our modern frontiers. To claim respect for international order while ignoring the legal consequences of these frameworks is a contradiction that the world must notice.

Furthermore, the history of refugee camps during Cambodia’s civil war — administered by UNBRO, the ICRC and UNICEF — cannot be used to retroactively claim sovereignty over sensitive, disputed zones. Complexity is not a license for land-grabbing.

Accountability, Not Hostility

You claim Thailand has “never” been confrontational. Decades of recurring armed tensions, fortifications and incursions suggest otherwise. To choose force over legal forums is to forfeit the moral high ground.

The Cambodian people acknowledge the humanitarian aid provided by Thailand in the past. However, humanity is not a shield against accountability. Good deeds in one decade do not grant a “moral license” to commit incursions in another. A neighbour who offers bread with one hand and builds fortifications with the other is not acting in good faith.

The Path to Genuine Peace

If Thailand truly believes that our peace is inseparable, then it must move beyond rhetoric and commit to:

Immediate De-escalation: Total withdrawal and cessation of activities in all disputed zones.
Legal Submission: A transparent commitment to international arbitration for all persisting disagreements.
Respect for Treaties: Full adherence to established legal instruments and binding court judgments.
Truth over Narrative: An end to the “benevolent neighbour” facade that masks unilateral territorial expansion.
The international community deserves the truth. The Cambodian people deserve dignity and the security of their sovereign borders. True leadership is found in the courage to follow the law, even when it does not serve one’s territorial ambitions.

Let your actions at the border finally match your words in Geneva.

Respectfully,

Tesh Chanthorn

Tesh Chanthorn is a Cambodian citizen who longs for peace. The views and opinions expressed are his own.

-Phnom Penh Post-
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