Displaced Cambodians Top UN Talks

Cambodia has urged the United Nations to pay closer attention to the humanitarian fallout of its ongoing border dispute with Thailand, warning that thousands of displaced civilians remain unable to return home despite a ceasefire signed late last year.

The appeal came during a meeting on 7 July between Keo Remy, president of the Cambodian Human Rights Committee (CHRC), and Matilda Bogner, country representative of the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). Remy briefed the UN office on what he described as serious violations of international law linked to the conflict, including alleged intimidation and violence against Cambodian migrant workers in Thailand.

Among the most disturbing claims was the reported gang rape of a female worker by Thai soldiers, alongside accusations of indiscriminate attacks inside Cambodian territory during last year’s clashes. Remy alleged that heavy weapons, toxic smoke and fighter aircraft were used, damaging homes, public buildings and even the UNESCO-listed Preah Vihear Temple. At the height of the fighting, more than 640,000 people were forced to flee.

Although a ceasefire was signed on 27 December 2025, Remy said Thai troops continue to occupy parts of Cambodian territory, erecting fences and destroying civilian homes. As a result, more than 20,000 displaced people remain unable to return. “The ceasefire has not enabled thousands of displaced Cambodians to return to their homes because of the continued illegal occupation,” the CHRC statement quoted him as saying.

The talks also touched on Cambodia’s wider human rights agenda. Remy highlighted the country’s co-sponsorship with France of a draft UN resolution calling for the universal decriminalisation of homosexuality, as well as plans to ratify the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which would abolish the death penalty permanently.

Bogner welcomed these initiatives and praised Cambodia’s engagement on LGBT rights. She confirmed that the OHCHR has been monitoring the border situation closely, including field visits to displaced families, and described cooperation with Cambodia as vital to protecting civilians.

Both sides concluded the meeting by reaffirming their commitment to constructive dialogue on human rights, even as the border dispute continues to cast a long shadow over thousands of Cambodian lives.

-2026-07-09