Phnom penh: Cambodian Minister of Information H.E. Neth Pheaktra has emphasized that a ceasefire should not be an opportunity to alter the current situation on the ground, urging for an end to actions that could create new realities or a fait accompli along the Cambodia-Thailand border.
According to Agence Kampuchea Presse, H.E. Neth Pheaktra shared a message on social media on Aug. 22, stating that when hostilities cease, any actions capable of changing the current circumstances must also halt. He clarified that a ceasefire should not permit either side to demolish civilian homes, build roads, erect barriers, install shipping containers, lay barbed wire, construct new infrastructure, raise national flags, or undertake other actions intended to alter the territorial status quo.
The Minister highlighted the importance of this principle in evaluating actions along the Cambodia-Thailand border following the Joint Statement of the 3rd Special Meeting of the General Border Committee (GBC) on Dec. 27, 2025. H.E. Neth Pheaktra pointed out that the Joint Statement called for an immediate ceasefire and required both sides to maintain their existing troop positions without further movement, ensuring that the arrangements did not prejudice the international boundary delimitation between the two countries.
He stressed that maintaining troop positions during a ceasefire cannot be seen as recognition of sovereignty or territorial title, nor as a basis for expanding effective control or constructing new infrastructure that might later support territorial claims. "A ceasefire must therefore mean three things: stop the shooting, stop the advance, and stop creating new facts on the ground that alter the status quo," he asserted.
The Minister further explained that if military forces engage in activities such as demolishing civilian homes, blocking access to residential areas, constructing roads or permanent structures, building military infrastructure, or raising national flags during a ceasefire, these actions exceed merely maintaining existing positions. H.E. Neth Pheaktra warned that such activities risk creating a fait accompli - an accomplished fact on the ground that could be used to support political, military, or territorial claims.
Moreover, he underscored the humanitarian aspect of the ceasefire agreement, noting that the Joint Statement allows civilians in affected border areas to return home and resume their normal livelihoods safely and without obstruction. He questioned how displaced civilians could exercise their right to return if their homes were demolished or access blocked.
The Minister warned that raising a national flag or installing state symbols at a particular location does not establish lawful sovereignty over that territory. He emphasized that sovereignty is determined by applicable international law, treaties, relevant maps, and lawful boundary delimitation and demarcation processes, rather than by which side builds a road, raises a flag, or maintains forces at a location first or for the longest period.
H.E. Neth Pheaktra pointed out that this was why the Dec. 27 Joint Statement preserved boundary delimitation and demarcation issues for the Joint Boundary Commission (JBC), stressing that neither side should use military force or unilateral actions on the ground as a substitute for the JBC's work. "Military engineering cannot redraw an international boundary," he stated.
The Minister urged the international community to closely monitor whether a ceasefire is fully respected if gunfire ceases while activities that alter the ground situation continue. He stressed that a meaningful ceasefire means more than the absence of gunfire; it also requires restraint from actions that aggravate tensions, create new facts on the ground, or undermine peaceful mechanisms for addressing outstanding boundary issues.
H.E. Neth Pheaktra concluded that Cambodia is not seeking to establish a new rule but is calling for respect for the existing agreement: refraining from creating new ground realities, enabling civilians to return without obstruction, and resolving boundary issues through agreed mechanisms and international law. "When the guns fall silent, the fait accompli must stop as well," he added.