Cambodia has lodged a formal protest with Thailand after Thai troops brought heavy machinery into Oddar Meanchey province to dig trenches, calling the move a direct violation of ceasefire agreements and an infringement on Cambodian sovereignty.
The incident took place on September 15 in the Tatum area of Anlong Veng district. According to local reports, Thai military personnel used heavy equipment near Border Pillar 9 to flatten land and dig trenches along the border zone.
In its diplomatic protest, the Cambodian Ministry of Foreign Affairs made it clear that unilateral actions on the ground cannot rewrite international boundaries. Phnom Penh stressed that the border must be jointly surveyed and marked out in line with historic treaties signed in 1904 and 1907.
Officials pointed out that the Thai military’s actions breach the 2000 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Joint Land Border Survey and Demarcation. The agreement strictly forbids either side from unilaterally altering the landscape along the border while joint survey work is still underway.
The Cambodian government has called on Bangkok to stop all construction immediately, honor its commitments to reduce tensions, and settle the border issue through peaceful dialogue. Cambodia maintained that all boundary matters must be resolved diplomatically, stressing that it will not accept any attempt to alter borders through force.
