AKP Phnom Penh, March 26, 2026 --

The Spokesperson of the State Secretariat of Border Affairs on Mar. 26 issued a press statement firmly rejecting calls to revoke the 2000 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU 2000), stressing that it is a legally binding bilateral treaty that cannot be unilaterally abrogated.

The statement came in response to reports published by Thai local media on Mar. 24, citing reasons and recommendations by a Thai Senate ad hoc committee to revoke the the MOU 43 (MOU 2000).

According to the press statement, the Spokesperson of the State Secretariat of Border Affairs firmly rejects and entirely dismisses the reasons and recommendations to revoke the MOU 2000 by the Thai Senate's ad hoc Committee, as they are unfounded, contrary to international law, and driven by political motives aimed at undermining the achievements made by the Joint Boundary Commission (JBC) of both parties in the past.

The Spokesperson provided three key clarifications:

1. The MOU 2000 was signed by the Royal Governments of both Cambodia and Thailand and entered into force on the date of signature. It was also registered and deposited at the United Nations Secretariat. The MOU 2000 constitutes a treaty or bilateral agreement concerning border affairs, creating obligations under international law, and serves as an important framework for both parties to resolve border issues peacefully through the Joint Boundary Commission (JBC) mechanism.

2. Based on principles of international law, under any circumstances Thailand cannot invoke its domestic laws or internal procedures, or any other reasons, as a means to revoke the MOU 2000, which is a border-related treaty to which it is a party (as stipulated in Article 62, paragraph 2, of the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties (VCLT) 1969).

3. The MOU 2000 grants full authority and competence to the Joint Boundary Commission (JBC) of both parties to resolve border issues peacefully based on the Franco-Siamese Convention 1904, the Franco-Siamese Treaty 1907, maps resulting from the work of the Commissions of Delimitation of Boundary between Indo-China and Siam, Procès-verbaux d'abornement of the Indo-China-Siamese Commissions, the Terms of Reference (TOR) 2003, and the agreed minutes of JBC meetings of both parties. In practice, the JBC has achieved positive results, including identifying the actual exact locations of all 74 French-era boundary pillars, repairing and maintaining agreed boundary pillars, conducting surveys and emplacing temporary markers, establishing a joint geodetic network between Cambodia and Thailand, and carrying out detailed surveys at border checkpoints.

The Spokesperson also emphasised that the Cambodian side consistently adheres to resolving border issues through all peaceful means, including existing bilateral mechanisms, particularly the Joint Boundary Commission (JBC). Cambodia remains fully prepared to continue advancing the work of the survey and demarcation the land boundary on the ground with the Thai side to completion, with the objective of maintaining long-term peace along the border between the two countries.

“In conclusion, revoking the MOU 2000 for any reason would not only violate international law and the principle of intangibility of frontiers (uti possidetis juris), but also hinder the peaceful resolution of border issues between the two countries and prevent the establishment of the border of stability, peace and development,” added the Spokesperson.

By C. Nika