Phnom penh: H.E. Ms. EAT Sophea, Permanent Secretary of State of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MFAIC), conducted a diplomatic briefing here on Thursday for members of the Diplomatic Corps and international organisations. The briefing focused on recent developments in the Cambodia-Thailand border situation, particularly the landmine incident on Nov. 10, 2025, and the unprovoked shooting by Thai forces at Cambodian civilians in Prey Chan village, Banteay Meanchey province, on Nov. 12, 2025.
According to Agence Kampuchea Presse, the Permanent Secretary of State informed the participants that Cambodia had lodged a formal protest against the unprovoked shooting by Thai forces, which resulted in the killing of one Cambodian civilian and the injuring of three others in Prey Chan village, O'Beichoan commune, Banteay Meanchey province, in the late afternoon of Nov. 12, 2025. She emphasized that this unlawful use of force violated Cambodia's sovereignty, international humanitarian law, and the fundamental principles of the United Nations Charter and the ASEAN Charter, and had also negatively affected ongoing demarcation work as agreed at the Special Meeting of the Cambodia-Thailand Joint Boundary Commission on Oct. 21-22, 2025. She called for an investigation into this tragic shooting, with the participation of the ASEAN Observer Team (AOT), and welcomed the support and engagement of all partners.
Regarding the landmine incident that injured a number of Thai soldiers on Nov. 10, 2025, she underscored that, while it warrants an investigation, this single incident should not be allowed to derail the peace process. She expressed sincere sympathies for the injured Thai soldiers, while highlighting that the incident occurred in the vicinity of Cambodia's Preah Vihear Temple - an area well known to be contaminated by landmines from Cambodia's civil war of the 1980s. She categorically rejected all allegations that Cambodian forces had laid new landmines.
Permanent Secretary of State EAT Sophea concluded her briefing by reaffirming Cambodia's unwavering commitment to fully implementing the ceasefire agreement of July 28 and the KL Joint Declaration on the peaceful settlement of disputes, signed on Oct. 26, 2025, by the Prime Ministers of Cambodia and Thailand.
The briefing was attended by senior officials from the Ministry of Defence, the Cambodian Mine Action Centre (CMAC), and the State Secretariat for Civil Aviation, among others.