Regional stability at risk as border crisis deepens
Deputy Prime Minister Prak Sokhonn addresses the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva yesterday. AKP
Cambodia’s top diplomat has issued a stern rebuke of Thai military operations along the shared border, accusing neighbouring forces of “forcible expulsions” and serious human rights violations that have left tens of thousands of civilians unable to return home.
Speaking yesterday at the 61st Session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Prak Sokhonn outlined a worsening humanitarian situation that he claims has continued since mid-2025. Although a second ceasefire reached late last year remains technically in force, Sokhonn described the peace as “fragile,” alleging that Thai forces have established military positions deep within Cambodian territory.
“Military positions have been established beyond claimed lines, resulting in encroachments deep inside Cambodian territory,” Sokhonn told the council. He said that in several occupied villages, homes were destroyed to make way for military infrastructure, while barbed wire and container barriers have been used to block displaced families from returning.
The human toll of the standoff remains immense. At the peak of hostilities, almost 650,000 people were forced to flee. According to the Ministry of Interior, as of yesterday, around 65,000 individuals—including more than 34,000 women and 21,000 children—are still displaced.
Sokhonn said that these actions directly breach international law, particularly threatening the rights to life, personal security, and adequate housing. He said that the restrictions have further severed communities from their cultural and religious centres.
Throughout the friction, Sokhonn maintained that Cambodia has exercised “restraint and responsibility,” focusing on providing humanitarian aid and maintaining essential services for those in displacement camps. However, he stressed that protecting human rights is fundamentally inseparable from peace.
The Foreign Minister called for the immediate withdrawal of Thai military forces from Cambodian territory and urged a “faithful implementation” of existing ceasefire agreements. He argued that a peaceful settlement, rooted in the non-use of force and international humanitarian law, is the only viable way forward.
“Only such an approach will enable the two peoples to coexist peacefully, stably, and with mutual respect,” Sokhonn said. AKP
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