AKP Phnom Penh, February 02, 2026 --

Cambodia has issued a sharp rebuke against Thailand before an international parliamentary body, accusing its neighbour of violating sovereign territory, disregarding established ceasefires, and damaging irreplaceable world heritage sites.

Speaking at the Executive Committee meeting of the Parliamentary Assembly of La Francophonie (APF) in Montenegro on Jan. 30-31, H.E. Ouch Borith, First Vice President of the Cambodian Senate and Vice President of the APF, warned that the border situation has "deteriorated significantly" due to a breakdown in international legal compliance.

In an intervention titled "Review of the Complex Political Situation in the Francophone Region," H.E. Ouch Borith detailed a series of escalations following a military operation in December 2025. He alleged that despite a ceasefire brokered on Dec. 27, Thai forces have continued to occupy Cambodian soil.

"Thai troops have persisted in encroaching upon Cambodian territory, erecting barriers such as barbed wire and shipping containers to block civilian access to their homes," H.E. Ouch Borith stated. He further accused Thailand of attempting to unilaterally alter the status quo using maps that lack international legal standing, straying from the 1904 Treaty and 1907 Convention.

The Vice President highlighted a "humanitarian and cultural tragedy," claiming that the conflict has caused direct damage to ancient sites, including the 11th-century Preah Vihear Temple – a UNESCO World Heritage site.

"Our nation is in deep pain over the destruction of heritage sites and statues, including the statue of Vishnu," he told the assembly. "Attacking cultural heritage is an assault on the memory and identity of a nation and a loss for all of humanity."

Questioning whether the region is witnessing a shift toward a "might-makes-right" order, H.E. Ouch Borith appealed to the APF to utilise parliamentary diplomacy to restore stability. He reaffirmed Cambodia's commitment to: The non-use of force and respect for territorial integrity; Strict adherence to the existing General Border Committee (GBC) and Joint Boundary Commission (JBC) mechanisms; The peaceful resolution of disputes as mandated by the ASEAN and UN Charters.

The APF Executive Committee expressed solidarity with the Cambodian delegation and officially integrated the report on the Cambodia-Thailand hostilities into the APF Political Committee’s records, published on its official platform on Jan. 31, 2026.

By K. Rithy Reak