CAMBODIA’S Prime Minister, Hun Manet, has accused Thai forces of remaining inside Cambodian territory despite a December ceasefire, warning that the situation along the disputed frontier remains fragile and urging Bangkok to allow a joint boundary commission to begin formal demarcation work.
In an interview with Reuters during a visit to Washington for a meeting of President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace, Hun Manet said the only way to prevent renewed conflict was through technical verification mechanisms already agreed by both sides.
“We still have Thai forces occupy(ing) deep into Cambodian territory in many areas. This is further beyond even Thailand’s own unilateral claim… border line,” he said, adding that Thai troops had placed shipping containers and barbed wire inside what he described as long-recognised Cambodian territory, preventing residents from returning home.
“This is not an accusation but it’s a statement of the facts on the ground.”
Thailand has denied occupying Cambodian territory, saying its troop deployments form part of de-escalation measures.
The border conflict, the worst in more than a decade, erupted in July and displaced hundreds of thousands of people while disrupting trade along the 508-mile frontier.
An October peace accord signed with Trump and Malaysia’s prime minister collapsed within weeks before a new ceasefire was reached on December 27.
Hun Manet described the truce as holding but “fragile”, and said Cambodia could not accept what he termed a “violation of our sovereignty or territorial integrity”.
“The only way to verify that is using the technical mechanism that we have, based on treaties, based on all the agreements we have. So, we hope that Thailand will agree and start to allow the JBC (joint boundary commission) to work as early as possible,” he said.
He noted that Thailand had cited its February 8 general election as a reason for delaying demarcation talks.
Now that the vote has concluded, he added, “Now the election is done, we hope that Thailand can start, at least on a technical level, to start measuring, start demarcating in the hot zone, so that we can go back to life.”
Hun Manet, 48, succeeded his father, long-serving leader Hun Sen, after the 2023 general election in which the ruling Cambodian People’s Party faced no meaningful opposition.
A graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, he has overseen a modest thaw in relations with Washington following years in which Phnom Penh drew closer to Beijing.
Asked about Cambodia’s ties with China, including upgrades to the Ream naval base, Hun Manet said relations with Beijing and Washington were “not mutually exclusive” and insisted Cambodia had “nothing to hide”. - February 18, 2026
