AKP Phnom Penh, August 19, 2026 --

Cambodian Minister of Information H.E. Neth Pheaktra has highlighted key findings from a report published by The Diplomat on Aug. 18 concerning the Cambodia-Thailand border situation, particularly reports of Thai military attacks on locations in Cambodian territory.

In a Facebook post on Aug. 19, H.E. Neth Pheaktra said the lengthy article by Lindsey Kennedy and Nathan Paul Southern covered several issues, including the border situation and online scams. He focused on three key categories of information related to the border issue and activities by the Thai military in Cambodian territory.

According to the Minister, the first category was direct testimony from victims who said they had not seen Cambodian military personnel in buildings that were subsequently attacked. The second concerned the journalists' direct observations of occupied buildings that were bombed and set on fire. The third involved reports of Thai military presence and activities at locations identified in the article as being in Cambodian territory.

H.E. Neth Pheaktra said the report presented eyewitness accounts and on-the-ground observations concerning Thai military attacks on locations in Cambodia, particularly in the areas of Cham, O'Smach and Thmor Da.

He said the report also raised questions about Thailand's assertion that its military operations were "strictly directed at military targets," particularly in light of testimony from survivors and observations by journalists that, he said, presented a different picture.

In Cham, a Nigerian witness identified as Paul told the journalists that, before the attack, he had never seen Cambodian soldiers or military vehicles inside the compound where he was being detained.

According to the testimony cited by H.E. Neth Pheaktra, hours before the ceasefire took effect on Dec. 27, 2025, the area came under repeated drone and bombing attacks. Paul said a major hotel-casino was repeatedly attacked and that many people were killed.

The Minister quoted Paul as saying, "I never saw any Cambodian soldiers. Nobody was shooting back. It was only attacks from the Thai military."

Regarding O'Smach, H.E. Neth Pheaktra said the journalists reported arriving in the area shortly after airstrikes and seeing several buildings on fire. The buildings were reportedly occupied, including by numerous trafficking victims, some of whom were unable to leave freely.

The Minister further noted that, during several visits to O'Smach and Thmor Da since July 2025, the journalists reported observing Thai surveillance drones closely monitoring areas containing large numbers of buildings and people. However, according to the report, they found no evidence that the buildings targeted in the attacks had been used as Cambodian military bases.

The report also addressed Thai military presence on areas claimed by Cambodia, H.E. Neth Pheaktra said.

In Thmor Da, the journalists reportedly observed container walls, roadblocks and Thai military positions. In O'Smach, when they attempted to access a casino located on Cambodian territory, warning shots were reportedly fired from a Thai military position.

Less than 12 hours later, according to the Minister's account of the report, Thai soldiers fired again while an international delegation comprising diplomats and military attachés was inspecting the border area.

H.E. Neth Pheaktra stressed that the broader Cambodia-Thailand border issue goes beyond individual episodes of fighting and also concerns respect for the ceasefire, the prevention of unilateral creation of "facts on the ground," restrictions on constructing new infrastructure in disputed areas, and ensuring that displaced civilians can safely, voluntarily and with dignity return to their homes and land.

He said the placement of containers, barbed wire and roadblocks, or the deployment of troops at locations that restrict civilians' access to their homes and land, should not simply be regarded as routine security measures if such actions result in control by force over territory to which Cambodia asserts sovereignty.

The Minister underlined that claims by any military party that it has targeted only military objectives should not automatically be accepted.

"When witnesses say they did not see Cambodian military personnel, when journalists observe civilian-occupied buildings being attacked, and when locations following attacks are subsequently occupied by foreign forces, the demand for independent investigation and accountability under international law becomes essential," he said.

H.E. Neth Pheaktra's post included a link to The Diplomat article, titled "Cambodia: From Scam Empire to Security State", published on Aug. 18, 2026 (https://thediplomat.com/.../cambodia-from-scam-empire-to.../.)

By C. Nika