Thailand’s Joint Information Centre (JIC) has rejected Cambodian claims that Thai forces seized territory, saying troop positions after the ceasefire do not determine the border.
Air Chief Marshal Praphas Sonjaidee, director of the Thailand-Cambodia Joint Information Centre, made the comments today, September 13, amid accusations from the Cambodian side over territory along the border.
He said any disagreement over which country owns disputed areas should be handled through the Joint Boundary Commission (JBC), where both sides can present maps, evidence and legal arguments.
Praphas said the situation needed to be separated into two periods: the fighting itself and the period after the ceasefire.
Praphas said that if Cambodian forces entered areas Thailand considers its own and used them to deploy troops or launch attacks, Thai forces had a duty to defend the territory and protect civilians.
Any response should be necessary, proportionate and consistent with international humanitarian law, he added.
Praphas said pushing opposing forces out of such areas during fighting should not be portrayed as evidence that Thailand had adopted a policy of invading Cambodia or seeking Cambodian territory.
He said the situation changed after a joint statement was signed on December 27, 2025, under which both sides agreed to cease fire and keep their forces at the positions held when the fighting stopped, without advancing towards the other side.
However, Praphas stressed that the agreement also stated that those military positions would not affect the surveying or demarcation of the international boundary, which must continue through the JBC mechanism.
He said a ceasefire ends fighting but does not create a new border, and that the line where troops are deployed should not be treated as a new boundary.
If Cambodia believes particular areas belong to it, Praphas said it should present its maps, evidence and legal arguments through the mechanism accepted by both countries rather than relying on political statements.
He added that Thailand should be held to the same standard and should not use its own troop positions as proof of where the border lies.
Praphas said Thailand did not seek “even a square inch” of Cambodian territory but had a responsibility to defend areas and people it considers to be under Thai sovereignty when they face a threat.
Once the ceasefire was in place, he said Thailand respected the agreement and wanted disputed sections of the Thailand-Cambodia border dispute returned to negotiations.
“Defend when necessary, de-escalate when possible, and settle the boundary through agreed mechanisms,” Praphas said.
He also urged the international community to consider the full timeline, facts on the ground and agreements signed by both sides rather than choosing between Thailand and Cambodia.
Praphas said Thailand ultimately wanted calm restored along the border, normal life to resume for communities on both sides, and territorial disputes to be settled through law, negotiations and bilateral mechanisms rather than force.
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