Thailand’s Occupation of Cambodian Land Is a Crime, Not a Dispute

AKP Phnom Penh, January 02, 2026 --

Thailand’s recent actions along the Cambodian border are not a misunderstanding, a minor skirmish, or a mere border dispute. They are deliberate acts of invasion, occupation, and intimidation—crimes committed on Cambodian sovereign territory. By unilaterally asserting false map claims and militarizing Cambodian land, Thailand is violating international law, regional norms, and the most basic principles of human decency.

Following the ceasefire at 12:00 p.m. on December 27, 2025, journalists from Al Jazeera reported directly from Chouk Chey Village, O’Beichoan Commune, O’Chrov District, Banteay Meanchey Province—a village that Cambodian families have inhabited for generations. What they found was shocking: Thai troops had sealed off the village with shipping containers and barbed wire, effectively turning Cambodian homes into a militarised prison. Al Jazeera documented Thai soldiers threatening to open fire on civilians who dared to return to their own homes.

Let that sink in. Cambodian citizens, on Cambodian soil, were threatened with lethal force for entering the very houses they have lived in for decades. This is not a border incident—it is an act of intimidation and terror.

Thailand’s occupation is illegal on every level. Its military incursions are based on unilateral, fabricated map claims that have never been mutually recognised, legally validated, or endorsed through bilateral mechanisms like the Joint Boundary Commission (JBC). Cambodia has repeatedly acted in good faith, pursuing technical boundary demarcation and dialogue. Thailand, however, has chosen aggression over diplomacy, destroying civilian homes, looting property, erecting illegal fences, and planting flags to forcibly assert control.

These actions are crimes under international law. The destruction of civilian property, theft, and threats against non-combatants in occupied or disputed territory constitute serious violations of international humanitarian law. Thailand cannot cloak these acts in maps or military pretext.

What Thailand is doing is clear: it is creating “facts on the ground” by force, disregarding ceasefire agreements, ignoring international norms, and threatening innocent civilians. This behaviour undermines ASEAN, destabilises the region, and mocks the rule-based order Thailand claims to respect.

Cambodia has shown restraint. It has honoured ceasefire commitments, avoided retaliation, and called for lawful demarcation. Thailand has responded with containers, barbed wire, and guns pointed at civilians. Such behavior cannot go unanswered.

The international community must act. Thailand must withdraw immediately from Cambodian territory, remove illegal installations, restore destroyed property, and face accountability under international law. Sovereignty is not negotiable, borders cannot be rewritten at gunpoint, and crimes against civilians cannot be ignored.

Thailand’s occupation of Cambodian land is not a dispute to be mediated—it is a crime that demands justice. The world must see it for what it is, and Thailand must be held responsible.