PHNOM PENH: Cambodia has raised concerns over the humanitarian impact of the ongoing border dispute with Thailand during talks with the UN human rights office.
Officials highlighted allegations of serious rights violations, noting that more than 20,000 displaced civilians remain unable to return to their homes, despite the ceasefire of late last year.
These issues were discussed during a July 7 meeting between Cambodian Human Rights Committee (CHRC) president Keo Remy and Matilda Bogner, country representative of the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Cambodia.
According to a CHRC statement, Remy thanked the OHCHR for its continued constructive engagement with Cambodia and used the meeting to brief the UN office on what he described as ongoing human rights and humanitarian concerns arising from the Cambodia-Thailand border situation.
“He said Cambodia faced a series of actions by Thailand that allegedly violated international law, particularly international human rights law and international humanitarian law,” said the statement.
Among the concerns raised were alleged discrimination, intimidation and violence against Cambodian migrant workers living and working in Thailand, as well as the alleged gang rape of a female migrant worker by Thai soldiers as she was returning to Cambodia.
Remy also accused Thailand of carrying out indiscriminate attacks inside Cambodian territory during last year’s border conflict, alleging the use of heavy weapons, cluster munitions, toxic smoke and fighter aircraft, including F-16, Gripen and T-50 jets.
He said the attacks damaged private and public property, including the Unesco-listed Preah Vihear Temple, and forced more than 640,000 people to flee their homes at the height of the conflict.
The CHRC president further alleged that Thai forces have attempted to create a fait accompli by demolishing Cambodian homes, constructing new infrastructure inside occupied areas and looting Cambodian civilian property.
Although Cambodia and Thailand signed a ceasefire agreement on Dec 27, 2025, Remy said more than 20,000 displaced people remain unable to return home because Thai troops continue to occupy parts of Cambodian territory, where barbed-wire fences and shipping containers have been installed and civilian homes have been destroyed.
“The ceasefire has not enabled thousands of displaced Cambodians to return to their homes because of the continued illegal occupation of Cambodian territory by the Thai military,” the statement quoted him as saying.
Beyond the border situation, Remy highlighted Cambodia’s recent international human rights initiatives, including its co-sponsorship with France of a draft resolution titled Towards Universal Decriminalisation of Homosexuality, which is expected to be considered during the 62nd session of the UN Human Rights Council.
The initiative follows another recent announcement by the Royal Government that it intends to ratify the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, committing Cambodia to the permanent abolition of the death penalty.
For her part, Bogner welcomed Cambodia’s continued efforts to promote and protect the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, according to the CHRC statement.
She also expressed appreciation for Cambodia’s consideration of ratifying the Second Optional Protocol aimed at abolishing capital punishment.
The UN representative added that the OHCHR has been closely monitoring developments along the Cambodia-Thailand border and has conducted field visits to meet displaced Cambodian families in order to better understand their living conditions.
“The OHCHR has been paying close attention to the situation and has visited Cambodian displaced persons to assess their living conditions,” she was quoted as saying.
Remy thanked the OHCHR for visiting displaced communities and monitoring the humanitarian situation on the ground, describing the engagement as an important contribution to protecting the rights of civilians affected by the border conflict.
The meeting concluded with both sides reaffirming their commitment to maintaining constructive cooperation on human rights issues in Cambodia. - The Phnom Penh Post/ANN
