Cambodia’s top human rights body has accused Thailand of invading Cambodian territory and committing serious violations of international law, including human rights and humanitarian law.
The Cambodia Human Rights Committee presented the allegations during the 61st session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland, according to a statement released on Monday.
The statement said that before and after recent fighting along the Cambodia-Thailand border, Thai military forces carried out actions that repeatedly breached international law, particularly international human rights law and international humanitarian law.
According to the committee, the alleged actions included the unilateral closure of border crossings without prior notice, discrimination and violence against Cambodian migrant workers, and sexual violence against Cambodian women workers by Thai soldiers.
The statement also accused Thai forces of using psychological tactics against civilians living near the border. These reportedly included high-volume sound broadcasts, ghost-like noises, and aircraft sounds intended to disturb the mental well-being of residents.
The committee further alleged that Thai forces carried out indiscriminate attacks using heavy weapons. These included cluster munitions, toxic smoke, and combat aircraft such as F-16, Gripen, and TH-50. The attacks were said to have damaged private and public property, including the Preah Vihear temple, which is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Cambodian officials also accused Thai troops of attempting to create new facts on the ground. According to the statement, Thai forces deployed barbed wire and shipping containers, destroyed homes, seized private property, and renamed roads in areas they allegedly occupied unlawfully. New infrastructure has also reportedly been built in those areas.
The Cambodian government says the situation has prevented around eighty thousand displaced people from returning to their homes.
Keo Remy, president of the Cambodia Human Rights Committee, attended the Human Rights Council session in Geneva from March two to March five, two thousand twenty six, together with several Cambodian government officials. Delegations from a number of countries also took part, including France, the Marshall Islands, the Dominican Republic, South Korea, Colombia, Estonia, Brazil, Japan, Cuba, Kuwait, Iraq, and Italy.
Meanwhile, Thailand’s foreign minister, Sihasak Phuangketkeow, was quoted by the Thai newspaper The Nation as warning during a United Nations meeting that Cambodia should decide whether it wants peace or continued confrontation. He questioned Cambodia’s decision to raise the border issue on the international stage.
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet has told international media during a visit to Europe that Thai troops moved deep into Cambodian territory following clashes in late December twenty twenty five and have remained there since.
Banteay Meanchey provincial governor Um Reatrey also told diplomats, international organisations, and journalists recently that Thai forces have surrounded three areas of Cambodian land in the province with barbed wire and more than one hundred shipping containers.
According to provincial authorities, the disputed areas cover about seven hundred sixty-three hectares of land.
