AKP Phnom Penh, September 27, 2025 --

Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo Hun Sen, Acting Head of State, has proposed the Interim Observer Team (IOT) to carry out two key tasks to determine the party responsible for violating the ceasefire agreement. 

“A ceasefire violation occurred involving the use of mortars and machine guns. Prime Minister Hun Manet and I convened an emergency online meeting, instructing our armed forces to exercise restraint and refrain from retaliation,” said Samdech Techo in a social media post this evening.

After the gunfire subsided, he added, both sides accused each other of violating the ceasefire. Each party filed complaints to the IOT, with Cambodia in particular making an urgent request for the IOT to conduct an on-site investigation.

According to the Acting Head of State, to ensure integrity, transparency, neutrality, and credibility, he has submitted a proposal to the leadership of the Malaysian military, who currently chairs the ASEAN-member-led IOT team, to undertake two critical tasks:

1. Conduct ballistic forensics, as both countries use different types of ammunition.
2. Most importantly, inspect the sites where the shells landed to determine the origin and direction of fire whether it came from Cambodia towards Thailand or vice versa. Shell trajectories cannot be manipulated after impact.

“Cambodian forces are properly preserving shell craters and creating favourable conditions for IOT observers to perform accurate forensic analysis and inspections. I hope the Thai side will demonstrate the same level of cooperation. Just as pure gold does not fear fire, any refusal to allow inspections by IOT observers would imply guilt on either side, Cambodia or Thailand,” he stressed.

By C. Nika