UN Special Rapporteur Tom Andrews has rejected Thailand's claim that Bangkok was not consulted before he commented publicly on the Thai-Cambodian border conflict. Andrews said he sent Thai authorities a draft of the relevant part of his report two days before its release in Phnom Penh, but received no reply before the planned announcement went ahead. In a statement posted on his official Facebook page on Thursday, 6 August, the UN envoy said he remained willing to hear Thailand's account before submitting his final report to the UN Human Rights Council next month. "I welcome feedback on my statement, including from the government of Thailand," Andrews said. "That is why I sent the Thai government an advance draft of the portion of the statement concerning the border conflict two days before it was issued." He added that, although no response was received, he was "open and eager" to discuss the Thai government's perspective. Thailand challenges procedure and findings The response follows criticism from Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow, who challenged both how the material was delivered and the accuracy of the rapporteur's statements. Sihasak said the findings were the assessment of an individual UN expert, rather than a document formally endorsed by the United Nations. He noted that the report has yet to be reviewed by the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, where member states can challenge individual claims. Thailand has argued that independent experts should verify information directly with every affected country and avoid presenting one-sided claims during public press conferences. Disagreement over 650,000 displaced Cambodians A central point of dispute is Andrews' reference to around 650,000 Cambodians displaced by the border friction. Thailand's Foreign Ministry rejected the figure, saying it includes people living in border villages which, Bangkok argues, encroached on Thai territory during Cambodia's internal civil conflicts more than 50 years ago. According to Thailand, those residents do not meet the legal definition of internally displaced persons. Sihasak also said the assessment failed to account for Thai civilian casualties, damage to Thai schools and hospitals, and Thailand's position that it did not start the clashes. Andrews said the 650,000 figure came directly from existing UN reports. "While noting Thailand's perspective, the figure was drawn from UN reports and my reference to those displaced is based on human rights concerns which apply regardless of conflicting territorial claims," he said. He also addressed claims involving Cambodian migrant workers, noting Sihasak's earlier clarification that they were not forcibly deported by Thailand but returned to Cambodia following calls by the Cambodian government. "Because whether one is Thai or Cambodian, human rights matter," Andrews said. Picture courtesy of The Nation Related stories Thailand-to-protest-UN-rapporteurs-Cambodia-report Thailand-rejects-UN-claims-on-Cambodia-conflict Join the discussion? 8 August 2026
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