Cambodia’s foreign minister has urged the country’s diplomats to intensify efforts as the Kingdom faces what he described as aggression, territorial encroachment and defamation from a neighbour with greater military and economic power.

Speaking at the annual foreign ministry review on 5 March, Prak Sokhonn warned that global competition between superpowers was adding pressure to Cambodia’s policy choices and national interests. “Our nation is facing and suffering from aggression, territorial encroachment and defamation from neighbours who use their military and economic superiority to pressure us. Now, more than ever, our diplomats must exert all their efforts to resolutely protect the core interests of the nation and our people,” he said.

Although Sokhonn did not name Thailand directly, Cambodian officials say Thai forces currently occupy at least 14 locations inside Cambodian territory. Tensions have been heightened by claims from Thai Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow that Cambodia has used the Preah Vihear Temple, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, as a military base. Phnom Penh has firmly rejected the accusation.

Kin Phea, director of the International Relations Institute of Cambodia, said Thailand had recently defamed Cambodia on two fronts: the Preah Vihear allegation and linking Cambodia’s crackdown on online scams to supposed aggression. He argued that international observers had visited the temple many times and found no evidence of military use, unlike Thailand, which he accused of concealing information and misleading the global community.

“Therefore, I believe that the ideas Thai officials have raised in various international forums were intended to deceive international opinion or distort the situation on the ground, and are therefore of little impact. Cambodia is widely recognised as a country which is suffering from Thai aggression,” Kin Phea said.

The dispute underscores the fragile state of relations between the two neighbours, where historical tensions over border demarcation continue to flare. For Cambodia, the challenge now is to rally diplomatic support, counter accusations and safeguard its sovereignty in an increasingly complex regional environment.

-2026-03-06

They deserve everything coming to them for the mines and mortars.

There are international solutions that can resolve the Thailand-Cambodia territorial disputes by creating a "Condominium Territory."

A condominium in international law is a territory over which two or more sovereign powers share equal dominion (sovereignty) and exercise rights jointly, without dividing it into "national" zones.

One example is the Moselle/Sauer/Our Rivers where a border area between Germany and Luxembourg is managed jointly.

A hybrid condominium example is Pheasant Island wherein sovereignty by France and Spain are not only shared but rotating, each having six months of the year.

But a successful condominium territory requires mature and intelligent sovereigns.

Good luck with that.