Unilaterally creating facts on the ground cannot override legal instruments, alter established boundaries, or create lawful territorial rights.


According to officials of the State Secretariat of Border Affairs, geographical facts, historical records, and cartographic evidence cannot be altered by any unilateral claim. Not only does the 1:200,000 map produced through the Franco-Siamese boundary delimitation process clearly place Prasat Khna within Cambodian territory, but even Thailand’s unilaterally produced 1:50,000 L7017 map clearly shows that both Prasat Khna and Ta Muen Thom Temple are situated within Cambodian territory.


Therefore, the use of armed force to seize or occupy these locations cannot create sovereignty or alter an international boundary. Military force cannot substitute for law, and occupation by force cannot constitute a lawful basis for territorial claims.


Cambodia considers the Thai military’s use of armed force to enter Cambodian territory and its continued occupation of locations within Cambodian territory to constitute a serious violation of Cambodia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. Cambodia has lodged its strongest protests and categorically rejects any situation created through the use of force or unlawful occupation.


Military occupation is not boundary delimitation. Creating facts on the ground cannot erase legal instruments, established cartographic evidence, or boundaries grounded in law.


Cambodia remains firmly committed to resolving border issues peacefully, in accordance with international law and through the border mechanisms mutually agreed upon by both countries. Thailand should therefore cease all unilateral actions aimed at creating new facts on the ground, respect Cambodia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and address outstanding border issues through peaceful and lawful means—not through military force.


Maps cannot be redrawn by force of arms, and international boundaries cannot be changed through military occupation