PHNOM PENH — The Kingdom of Cambodia has issued a fierce diplomatic condemnation against repeated territorial incursions by Thailand, following a recent provocative visit by Thai authorities and foreign media personnel to the disputed O’Smach border sector.
Cambodia’s Ministry of Information revealed that Thai military forces escorted foreign press syndicates, including the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), into the O’Smach area without obtaining prior authorization or providing formal notice to local Cambodian border commanders.
“The O’Smach zone remains under the absolute, legally binding sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Cambodia,” the Ministry stated defensively. The government cited Article 2, Paragraph 4 of the United Nations Charter, which stringently mandates all member states to respect the territorial integrity and political independence of sovereign nations.
Phnom Penh officially categorized the Thai military’s maneuvering as a flagrant breach of international law, asserting that Bangkok maintains zero legal or operational jurisdiction to deploy forces or facilitate foreign journalistic reporting within Cambodian lines.
Cambodian authorities progressively dismissed the subsequent media coverage generated by the unauthorized junket, labeling it a politically orchestrated campaign by Thailand aimed at tarnishing Cambodia’s geopolitical reputation on the international stage.
“The Royal Government completely rejects all editorial content, secondary sources, and reports manufactured from these illicit and unauthorized activities,” the Ministry of Information declared. It added that such unilateral incursions completely bypass established bilateral border dispute mechanisms, heavily undermining diplomatic protocols and mutual state-level trust.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation has reportedly lodged stringently worded diplomatic protest notes regarding identical past incidents involving foreign correspondents and overseas military attachés.
While reinforcing its diplomatic stance to maintain stable bilateral ties with Bangkok, Cambodia explicitly warned that it will tolerate no violations of its territorial sovereignty, nor will it permit the weaponization of its border regions for “malicious misinformation campaigns.”
The Ministry of Information concluded by urging the global diplomatic corps and international community to evaluate the border friction strictly through the lens of international law, cautioning against biased narratives constructed via illegal entries into sovereign Cambodian soil.
