AKP Phnom Penh, September 24, 2025 --

The Ministry of National Defence of Cambodia this evening issued a clarification on the case of Chork Chey village in O’ Bei Choan commune, O’ Chrov district, Banteay Meanchey province, following misleading claims by Thai authorities and media outlets.
 
In a televised statement, Maj. Gen. Chheng Khun, Deputy Director of the Department of Geography at the Ministry of National Defence, stressed that the maps and satellite images presented by Thailand—showing red and blue boundary lines—are unilaterally drawn and not mutually agreed. The “Field Plan” signed by both survey teams only indicates the locations of boundary pillars, not the official boundary line.

Investigations on the ground between Boundary Pillars 44–47 revealed Thai citizens’ occupation and even a Thai road built on Cambodian territory, while Thai authorities selectively highlight only alleged Cambodian encroachment.

“I must stress that, in the past, the Thai military and Thai provincial authorities have selectively used unilateral maps to make claims, showing only areas where they allege Cambodians encroached into Thai territory, while omitting areas where Thai citizens and soldiers have themselves encroached into Cambodian territory,” he said. 

Maj. Gen. Chheng Khun explained that previous clarifications were withheld due to the confidentiality principle of the Joint Boundary Commission (JBC). However, because Thailand repeatedly distorts facts, Cambodia now reaffirms that boundary issues must be resolved peacefully through existing agreements—the 1904 Convention, 1907 Treaty, Memorandum of Understanding 2000 (MOU 2000), and Terms of Reference (TOR) 2003—using proper technical standards under the JBC mechanism.

He emphasised that Cambodia has no intention of claiming Thai territory but firmly upholds its sovereignty based on the 1:200,000 map and the 74 jointly planted boundary pillars. Both countries recently agreed at the Sept. 10, 2025 Special General Border Committee (GBC) Meeting to prioritise resolving Chork Chey issues through the JBC.

The Ministry of National Defence of Cambodia urged Thailand to stop using unofficial maps or satellite image maps, and unilaterally drawn boundary lines, and to respect agreements and principles, in order to maintain trust, avoid tensions, and ensure peaceful settlement of boundary issues.

By C. Nika