Synopsis: The AOT is called upon to play a bigger part in monitoring the ceasefire at the frontier as Thai fighter jet overflights threaten the Kingdom’s sovereignty and security.
Cambodia has reiterated its call for the ASEAN Observer Team to play a stronger role in monitoring its ceasefire with Thailand, following admissions from Bangkok that Thai F-16 fighter jets flew along the border. Phnom Penh views the overflights as a direct threat to the Kingdom’s sovereignty and security.
National Defence Ministry spokeswoman Lieutenant General Maly Socheata said the AOT, headed by the Philippines, visited the border in Banteay Meanchey province on June 23 to observe, verify and report on the situation in former conflict zones and monitor compliance with the ceasefire agreement.
According to the ministry, the observer team inspected Prey Chan village in O’Beichoan commune, O’Chrov district, where the ministry said the Thai military had launched attacks, installed barbed wire and unlawfully deployed container structures, preventing many Cambodian families from returning to their homes.
“As a result, many Cambodian families have not yet been able to return to their homes. The visit also included monitoring compliance with and implementation of all measures stipulated in the Joint Statement following the entry into force of the ceasefire,” she said.
The ministry reiterated that Cambodia categorically rejects any attempt to alter the border through the use of force, stressing the need for the Cambodia–Thailand Joint Boundary Commission to resume border demarcation in accordance with the agreements reached during the Third Special Meeting of the Cambodia–Thailand General Border Committee on December 27, 2025.
The ministry statement said Cambodia has consistently provided full support to the ASEAN Observer Team and continues to advocate strengthening its role and mandate to verify the effective implementation of the ceasefire and all measures agreed upon by Cambodia and Thailand, while promoting transparency, accountability and mutual trust.
Thailand yesterday acknowledged deploying the aircraft but insisted the operation was part of a routine military training exercise conducted within Thai airspace and was unrelated to border tensions.
Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul confirmed that an F-16 had been deployed following Thai media reports that the aircraft had taken off during the night, prompting speculation among residents in border provinces that Thailand was preparing for a possible escalation of tensions with Cambodia.
The Royal Thai Air Force later said the flight formed part of its regular monthly training programme, which includes night operations. Air force officials said the aircraft flew along a training route near the border but remained within Thai airspace and did not violate the territory of any neighbouring country.
The air force statement said the exercises are conducted regularly to ensure pilots and aircraft remain operationally ready to respond to missions at any time, adding that social media speculation had incorrectly linked the flights to the border situation.
In a statement, the Royal Thai Air Force described the sound of F-16 fighter jets as “the sound of Thailand’s independence and sovereignty,” saying that continued flight operations demonstrate the country’s ability to safeguard its airspace.
The air force added that F-16 aircraft had also been deployed on night missions earlier this month to maintain combat readiness and monitor developments along the border, while similar night-time strike exercises are conducted regularly to enhance operational capability.
Cambodian military sources, however, said yesterday that Thai fighter jets had flown over border areas, saying the flights threatened Cambodia’s sovereignty and security.
In April, Cambodia reported that Thai fighter jets entered the airspace over Banteay Meanchey province and penetrated deep into Cambodian territory over Samraong, the capital of Oddar Meanchey province.
Thailand violated Cambodia’s sovereign airspace with unmanned aerial vehicles and fighter jets, carrying out airstrikes as deep as 100 km inside Cambodian territory from the border and targeting both civilian and military sites. The two rounds of military aggression against Cambodia in July and December last year forced at least 600,000 Cambodians to flee their homes.
Amid the latest developments, Cambodia yesterday reaffirmed its support for strengthening the role of the ASEAN Observer Team in monitoring compliance with the Cambodia–Thailand ceasefire.
During a daily briefing on the border situation, government spokesman Pen Bona said Prime Minister Hun Manet has consistently reaffirmed Cambodia’s position at both national and international forums, stressing the important role of the observer team in verifying the implementation of the ceasefire along the Cambodia–Thailand border.
Bona said Cambodia welcomes the Philippines’ assumption of the ASEAN chairmanship from Malaysia and will extend its full cooperation to support the role and mandate of the ASEAN Observer Team.
He added that the government is calling for the observer team’s role to be strengthened to verify the implementation of the ceasefire and measures agreed by both sides.
“The agreement on the role of the ASEAN Observer Team is stipulated in the Joint Statement dated December 27, 2025. Specifically, Paragraph 12 states that both parties recognise the important role of the ASEAN Observer Team (AOT) and agree to strengthen its role in verifying and ensuring the effective implementation of all measures contained in the Joint Statement, in consultation with the ASEAN Chair and the ASEAN Observer Team,” Bona said.
To ensure the continuity and effectiveness of the observation and verification mission along the border, the Philippines, as ASEAN Chair for 2026, has taken over leadership of the observer mission from Malaysia.
He added that Cambodia thanked Malaysia for its contribution and warmly welcomed the Philippines’ commitment to fulfilling its responsibilities as the head of the ASEAN observer mission.
In the latest development, the Cambodian government protested Thailand’s continued violations of its sovereignty and territorial integrity in areas it says have been illegally occupied by Thai armed forces since last year.
In a statement issued yesterday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation said that between June 18 and 22, a Thai land-surveying team, accompanied by around 25 Thai citizens and nine vehicles, conducted a survey and installed boundary markers in Chouk Chey village, O’Beichoan commune, O’Chrov district, Banteay Meanchey province, along the boundary segment between pillars 46 and 47.
The Cambodian government strongly protested the activities, saying they clearly violate Article 5 of the 2000 Memorandum of Understanding between Cambodia and Thailand on land boundary survey and demarcation, as well as the 2003 Terms of Reference and the agreed minutes of the Special Meeting of the Joint Boundary Commission dated October 22, 2025, in Chanthaburi, Thailand.
“These activities are in breach of Item I (De-escalation Measures) of the Joint Statement of the 3rd Special Meeting of the General Border Committee of 27 December 2025, in which both sides agreed to refer to the Joint Boundary Commission to resume at the earliest the survey and demarcation work, in accordance with existing agreements between the two countries,” the ministry said.
Cambodia demands that Thailand immediately cease all of such unlawful activities, refrain from further unilateral actions, and work to de-escalate tensions, foster mutual trust, and preserve peace and neighbourliness along the border.
