VIDEO: An Seh border crossing lies entirely in Cambodian territory, SSBA rejects Thai ‘fait accompli’

Photo: - Both the Thai unilateral map and the historic French colonial maps show that the occupied An She area is located in Cambodia’s Preah Vihear province. SSBA

The An Seh Border Checkpoint in Preah Vihear province lies entirely within Cambodian territory, based on both historical boundary documents and technical maps, according to Sreu Bora, Director General of the General Department of Border Technical Affairs at the Secretariat of State for Border Affairs (SSBA).

Speaking in an interview with state broadcaster TVK, Bora said the entire An Seh area is currently under the illegal occupation of Thai forces following the Thai military aggression at the end of 2025, despite historical and technical evidence confirming that it belongs to Cambodia.

He explained that Cambodia’s position is based on the 1904 Convention, the 1907 Treaty and the work of the Franco-Siamese Mixed Commission, which produced the official 1:200,000-scale boundary map that continues to serve as the principal technical reference for the two countries.

“The entire An Seh area is located within Cambodian territory. At present, however, it is under the occupation and control of the Thai armed forces following their invasion after the conflict at the end of 2025,” Sreu Bora said.

He noted that the An Seh crossing, located in Choam Khsant commune, Choam Khsant district, Preah Vihear province, has existed for more than a century and was already marked as “Col d’An Seh” on the French-era map, indicating that it is a long-established traditional border crossing rather than a newly created one.

To support Cambodia’s position, Sreu Bora said technical experts compared the official 1:200,000-scale map with Thailand’s unilateral L7017 series 1:50,000-scale map. According to him, the two boundary lines closely correspond in the An Seh area, with both placing the checkpoint inside Cambodian territory.

He also referred to the site where Thai forces destroyed a Vishnu statue and replaced it with a Buddha statue in December 2025, saying the location is about 500 metres inside Cambodian territory, even when measured using Thailand’s own unilateral map.

Bora said the Thai military continued activities in the area after the December 27, 2025, ceasefire agreement, including erecting a Buddha statue, installing barbed-wire fences and placing containers to block the road.

“All of these actions demonstrate the creation of a ‘fait accompli’, meaning that their objective and intention is to claim this area as their own territory,” he said.

He also said Thailand is attempting to produce a new map incorporating areas currently occupied by its military into Thai territory, stressing that Cambodia does not recognise any such unilateral maps and considers them to have no legal validity or legal effect whatsoever. -Khmer Times-