AKP Phnom Penh, August 28, 2025 --

The Royal Government of Cambodia has strongly rejected accusations by a Thai senior official that Cambodian forces are using civilians as human shields amid the ongoing border tension.

Speaking at a press briefing this afternoon, H.E. Chum Sounry, Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, said such claims are baseless and distort the reality on the ground.

“Cambodia firmly rejects the accusation that civilians are being used as human shields in the border tension. Such accusations are unfounded and misrepresent the reality, as Cambodian civilians have long resided in the area and are now suffering from the unilateral laying of barbed wire that prevents them from accessing their homes and farmland,” he underlined.

The Spokesperson also dismissed repeated allegations that Cambodia is planting new landmines along the border.

“As one of the most mine-affected countries in the world, Cambodia has no policy or interest in using such dangerous weapons,” he stressed, adding that remnants of landmines from past decades of conflict continue to pose threats to civilians on both sides of the border.

H.E. Chum Sounry reaffirmed Cambodia’s full adherence to the UN Charter and to all core international human rights treaties to which the country is a state party.

By Heng Panha