PHNOM PENH: Thai authorities have reportedly carried out a second round of land allocation to Thai citizens in the occupied Cambodian village of Chouk Chey, in Banteay Meanchey province.
The allocated areas are located between border markers 45 and 47 in the occupied village, in Ou Chrov district’s Ou Beichoan commune.
The August 13 allocation prompted the Royal Government of Cambodia to issue a formal protest against what the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation described as “unlawful actions affecting Cambodia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity along the border”.
“This illegal administrative activity is a clear attempt to legitimise Thailand’s unlawful occupation of the area, while denying the right to safe return for Cambodian citizens who were forcibly evicted from their homes and farms in that area,” the ministry said in a statement on Saturday (Aug 15).
The latest Thai activities have affected the border demarcation process being carried out by the Joint Border Demarcation Commission (JBC) of the two countries and violate Article 5 of the Memorandum of Understanding on the Survey and Demarcation of the Land Boundary, which Cambodia and Thailand signed on June 14, 2000, as well as various cease-fire agreements from 2025, added the ministry.
Phnom Penh urged Thailand to cease its activities in the aforementioned area, as well as in other areas that have been illegally occupied since last year.
“Cambodia reiterates its non-acceptance of any unilateral border lines or territorial claims by Thailand, and the activities described above will not affect Cambodia’s legitimate rights or position regarding its international borders,” it stated. - The Phnom Penh Post/ANN
