Cambodian PM says Thai forces occupying disputed land despite Trump-brokered ceasefire
Every delay has consequences.
FIRST ON FOX: Last year when President Donald Trump helped broker a ceasefire agreement between Thailand and Cambodia, he took a victory lap.
"Who else could say, 'I'm going to make a phone call and stop a war between two very powerful countries, Thailand and Cambodia?'" he said.
Now, that agreement appears under strain, as Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet told Fox News Digital that Thai forces have pushed into long-held Cambodian territory beyond the line of dispute. Thai soldiers have sealed off villages with barbed wire and shipping containers, leaving 80,000 Cambodian locals unable to return home, according to Cambodian officials.
"The occupation is beyond even Thailand’s unilateral claim," Manet said. "Many of the villagers cannot go back to their hometowns."
US ALERTS TOURISTS OF 'UNPREDICTABLE SECURITY SITUATION' IN POPULAR HOLIDAY DESTINATION
Cambodia and Thailand have sparred for decades over sections of their 500-mile land border, much of which was drawn during the French colonial era and later interpreted differently by Bangkok and Phnom Penh. The dispute has periodically flared into armed clashes, particularly around areas near historic Khmer temple sites and rural villages where demarcation remains incomplete.
Tensions escalated again last year, with fighting breaking out along contested stretches of the frontier and displacing thousands of civilians on both sides. The clashes prompted diplomatic intervention and culminated in a ceasefire agreement brokered with U.S. involvement during an ASEAN summit in Kuala Lumpur.
Images and local reporting from the most recent fighting show damage to structures near the frontier, including at or near the UNESCO-listed Preah Vihear temple complex — raising concerns about the safety of cultural heritage sites caught in contested zones. Cambodian officials have blamed Thai forces for the damage, while Thai officials have denied deliberately targeting religious or cultural landmarks, saying military operations were limited to contested security areas.
The Thai embassy could not be reached for comment on this interview.
TRUMP’S PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH IN 2025: WHERE WARS STOPPED AND RIVALS CAME TO THE TABLE
Still, Manet declined to threaten military retaliation. "Our position is to always stick to peaceful resolutions," he said. "We don’t believe that using war to stop a war is sustainable or practical."
Thailand, with a population of more than 70 million — roughly four times Cambodia’s 17 million — maintains a significantly larger and better-equipped military, raising the stakes of any renewed conflict. …
Every delay has consequences.
FIRST ON FOX: Last year when President Donald Trump helped broker a ceasefire agreement between Thailand and Cambodia, he took a victory lap.
"Who else could say, 'I'm going to make a phone call and stop a war between two very powerful countries, Thailand and Cambodia?'" he said.
Now, that agreement appears under strain, as Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet told Fox News Digital that Thai forces have pushed into long-held Cambodian territory beyond the line of dispute. Thai soldiers have sealed off villages with barbed wire and shipping containers, leaving 80,000 Cambodian locals unable to return home, according to Cambodian officials.
"The occupation is beyond even Thailand’s unilateral claim," Manet said. "Many of the villagers cannot go back to their hometowns."
US ALERTS TOURISTS OF 'UNPREDICTABLE SECURITY SITUATION' IN POPULAR HOLIDAY DESTINATION
Cambodia and Thailand have sparred for decades over sections of their 500-mile land border, much of which was drawn during the French colonial era and later interpreted differently by Bangkok and Phnom Penh. The dispute has periodically flared into armed clashes, particularly around areas near historic Khmer temple sites and rural villages where demarcation remains incomplete.
Tensions escalated again last year, with fighting breaking out along contested stretches of the frontier and displacing thousands of civilians on both sides. The clashes prompted diplomatic intervention and culminated in a ceasefire agreement brokered with U.S. involvement during an ASEAN summit in Kuala Lumpur.
Images and local reporting from the most recent fighting show damage to structures near the frontier, including at or near the UNESCO-listed Preah Vihear temple complex — raising concerns about the safety of cultural heritage sites caught in contested zones. Cambodian officials have blamed Thai forces for the damage, while Thai officials have denied deliberately targeting religious or cultural landmarks, saying military operations were limited to contested security areas.
The Thai embassy could not be reached for comment on this interview.
TRUMP’S PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH IN 2025: WHERE WARS STOPPED AND RIVALS CAME TO THE TABLE
Still, Manet declined to threaten military retaliation. "Our position is to always stick to peaceful resolutions," he said. "We don’t believe that using war to stop a war is sustainable or practical."
Thailand, with a population of more than 70 million — roughly four times Cambodia’s 17 million — maintains a significantly larger and better-equipped military, raising the stakes of any renewed conflict. …
Cambodian PM says Thai forces occupying disputed land despite Trump-brokered ceasefire
Every delay has consequences.
FIRST ON FOX: Last year when President Donald Trump helped broker a ceasefire agreement between Thailand and Cambodia, he took a victory lap.
"Who else could say, 'I'm going to make a phone call and stop a war between two very powerful countries, Thailand and Cambodia?'" he said.
Now, that agreement appears under strain, as Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet told Fox News Digital that Thai forces have pushed into long-held Cambodian territory beyond the line of dispute. Thai soldiers have sealed off villages with barbed wire and shipping containers, leaving 80,000 Cambodian locals unable to return home, according to Cambodian officials.
"The occupation is beyond even Thailand’s unilateral claim," Manet said. "Many of the villagers cannot go back to their hometowns."
US ALERTS TOURISTS OF 'UNPREDICTABLE SECURITY SITUATION' IN POPULAR HOLIDAY DESTINATION
Cambodia and Thailand have sparred for decades over sections of their 500-mile land border, much of which was drawn during the French colonial era and later interpreted differently by Bangkok and Phnom Penh. The dispute has periodically flared into armed clashes, particularly around areas near historic Khmer temple sites and rural villages where demarcation remains incomplete.
Tensions escalated again last year, with fighting breaking out along contested stretches of the frontier and displacing thousands of civilians on both sides. The clashes prompted diplomatic intervention and culminated in a ceasefire agreement brokered with U.S. involvement during an ASEAN summit in Kuala Lumpur.
Images and local reporting from the most recent fighting show damage to structures near the frontier, including at or near the UNESCO-listed Preah Vihear temple complex — raising concerns about the safety of cultural heritage sites caught in contested zones. Cambodian officials have blamed Thai forces for the damage, while Thai officials have denied deliberately targeting religious or cultural landmarks, saying military operations were limited to contested security areas.
The Thai embassy could not be reached for comment on this interview.
TRUMP’S PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH IN 2025: WHERE WARS STOPPED AND RIVALS CAME TO THE TABLE
Still, Manet declined to threaten military retaliation. "Our position is to always stick to peaceful resolutions," he said. "We don’t believe that using war to stop a war is sustainable or practical."
Thailand, with a population of more than 70 million — roughly four times Cambodia’s 17 million — maintains a significantly larger and better-equipped military, raising the stakes of any renewed conflict. …
