AKP Phnom Penh, December 15, 2025 --

Cambodia has already anticipated Thailand’s threat to block maritime routes and is fully prepared to respond in all forms to what it described as Thailand’s ambition to provoke war and expand the conflict, according to the spokesperson of the Ministry of Public Works and Transport.

H.E. Phan Rim, Under Secretary of State and Spokesperson for the ministry, made the remarks this morning, stressing that Cambodia has carefully assessed the situation and put comprehensive response measures in place.

In recent days, he noted, Thai media outlets have quoted senior Thai officials issuing warnings about blocking or restricting commercial shipping routes through the Gulf of Thailand into Cambodia. These threats, he said, are being justified under various pretexts, but in reality serve Thailand’s aggressive agenda to escalate tensions and provoke wider conflict with Cambodia.

“Cambodia is not naive,” the spokesperson emphasised. “We have considered this issue thoroughly and are fully prepared to respond in all forms to Thailand’s ambition to incite war and expand the conflict.”

He further underlined that Cambodia possesses multiple maritime cargo gateways with strong interconnectivity and capacity, ensuring national autonomy and full operational control in accordance with international law and regulations.

According to experts, although the body of water is known as the Gulf of Thailand, Thailand does not have unilateral authority over maritime navigation in the area. The gulf is jointly shared by four countries—Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Malaysia. Each country exercises sovereignty over territorial waters extending up to 12 nautical miles (approximately 22 kilometres) from its coastline, with possible extension to 24 nautical miles (around 44 kilometres), in line with international maritime standards.

Moreover, under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), Cambodia has its own maritime space directly connected to international sea lanes, without encroaching upon Thai or Vietnamese waters, ensuring its lawful access to global maritime navigation.

By C. Nika