By Khmer Times
The Cambodian Human Rights Committee (CHRC) has called on the United Nations and ASEAN human rights bodies to urgently intervene following what its president described as “unlawful” incursions by the Royal Thai Armed Forces into Cambodian territory.
In four separate letters addressed to Balakrishnan Rajagopal, UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Adequate Housing; Volker Türk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights; Cynthia Veliko, OHCHR Regional Representative; and Edmund Bon Tai Soon, Chair and Representative of Malaysia ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights, Senior Minister Keo Remy, President of the CHRC, detailed a series of incidents that he said violate both international law and bilateral agreements between Cambodia and Thailand.
The letters, titled Urgent Appeal Concerning Unlawful Barbed Wire Deployment and Related Actions by the Royal Thai Armed Forces, highlight alleged breaches of the 28 July 2025 ceasefire agreement and the 13-point Agreed Minutes from the Extraordinary General Border Committee (GBC) Meeting on 7 August 2025.
According to Remy, on 4 August Thai soldiers armed with weapons “unlawfully entered Cambodian territory to lay barbed wire and deployed machinery to conduct land clearing” in the An Ses area of Choam Ksan District, Preah Vihear Province. He further alleged that on 12 and 13 August, Thai paramilitary and border patrol forces placed barbed wire, positioned vehicle tyres as barricades, and reportedly encircled civilian homes and farmland in Chouk Chey and Prey Chan villages, O Bei Chorn Commune, O Chrov District, Banteay Meanchey Province.
On 14 August, Remy said, Thai armed forces “intended to place barbed wire and conduct similar operations” near the Boeung Trakuon Border Checkpoint in Banteay Meanchey Province, but were stopped by the presence of Cambodian troops, local residents, and international military observers.
The CHRC has since visited the sites, documenting what Remy described as “immense suffering” among affected communities. “Families have been forcibly displaced, causing severe distress and loss of livelihood. Their homes and farms have been unlawfully taken by the Thai Armed Forces,” he wrote.
He said the actions “are in direct violation” of Thailand’s obligations under international human rights and humanitarian law and constitute a serious infringement upon the rights of Cambodian citizens, as guaranteed by international human rights and humanitarian law instruments.
The CHRC has appealed to the OHCHR to urgently: demand the immediate removal of all barbed wire and other obstructions; ensure the return of seized civilian property and farmland; press Thailand to fully honour its ceasefire and GBC commitments; and initiate an independent investigation to guarantee accountability.
“We urge the OHCHR to treat this matter with the utmost urgency and to support Cambodia in ensuring that those responsible for these violations are held fully accountable,” Remy said. “The CHRC also takes this opportunity to reiterate its demands and requests related to the immediate and unconditional release and repatriation of the remaining 18 Cambodian soldiers in Thai custody, as stated in its letter to the OHCHR dated 1 August 2025.”
He added: “We seek your solidarity in upholding the principles of human rights, international humanitarian law, and justice for victims of such unlawful actions.”
