Cambodian PM says Thailand is occupying territory after Trump-brokered ceasefire

Advertisement Asia Cambodian PM says Thailand is occupying territory after Trump-brokered ceasefire A Thai national flag is seen at the Pha Mo E-Daeng area in Thailand's northeastern Sisaket province, as viewed from Preah Vihear temple in Preah Vihear province, Cambodia on Feb 12, 2026. (File photo: Reuters/Soveit Yarn) 18 Feb 2026 04:28PM (Updated: 18 Feb 2026 04:37PM) Bookmark Bookmark Share WhatsApp Telegram Facebook Twitter Email LinkedIn Set CNA as your preferred source on Google Add CNA as a trusted source to help Google better understand and surface our content in search results. Read a summary of this article on FAST. Get bite-sized news via a newcards interface. Give it a try. Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FAST FAST WASHINGTON: Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet told Reuters on Tuesday (Feb 17) that Thai forces are occupying Cambodian territory after fighting last year despite a peace accord brokered by United States President Donald Trump, and called on Thailand to allow a joint boundary commission to begin working on their disputed border.In his first interview with international media, Hun Manet, who took over power from his father in 2023, hailed warmer ties with Washington and said his government was working to address cyber scam centres that have proliferated in the country.Hun Manet travelled to Washington to attend a meeting of Trump's Board of Peace this week, and said he hoped the new body could play a role in de-escalating the situation on the border, which he described as "fragile" despite a December ceasefire that ended renewed fighting. The board was created to oversee a Gaza peace plan, but Trump has said it could take on a broader role. Thailand has said it is maintaining troop positions as part of de-escalation measures and has denied it is occupying territory. Subscribe to CNA’s Morning Brief An automated curation of our top stories to start your day. This service is not intended for persons residing in the E.U. By clicking subscribe, I agree to receive news updates and promotional material from Mediacorp and Mediacorp’s partners. Loading "We are adhering to the joint statement, which agreed to maintain existing troop deployments. There has been no reinforcement," Thailand's Defence Ministry spokesperson, Rear Admiral Surasant Kongsiri, told Reuters."VIOLATION OF OUR SOVEREIGNTY"The comments from Cambodia's leader on the border conflict underscore the risk that the conflict could reignite once again despite Trump continuing to promote the success of the peace deal.The worst fighting in more than a decade, which broke out in July, has displaced hundreds of thousands of people and disrupted trade across the 817km border. An October peace accord signed with Trump and Malaysia's prime minister broke down within a matter of weeks before a new ceasefire was reached on Dec 27. Thai soldiers stand next to barbed wire cordoning off an area at the Thma Da area in Pursat province on Feb 7, 2026. (File photo: AFP/Agence Kampuchea Press) "We still have Thai forces occupy(ing) deep into Cambodian territory in many areas. This is further beyond even Thailand’s own unilateral claim … border line," Hun Manet told Reuters. He said Thai troops had laid shipping containers and barbed wire inside what Thailand had long recognised as Cambodian territory and residents were unable to return home."This is not an accusation but it’s a statement of the facts on the ground,” he said.Cambodia could not accept what he called a "violation of our sovereignty or territorial integrity", he said."The only way to verify that is using the technical mechanism that we have, based on treaties, based on all the agreements we have. So we hope that Thailand will agree and start to allow the JBC (joint boundary commission) to work as early as possible," Hun Manet said. He added that Thailand had cited its Feb 8 election as a reason not to begin demarcation work. Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul rode a wave of nationalism in the election in the wake of the border conflict."Now the election is done, we hope that Thailand can start, at least on a technical level, to start measuring, start demarcating in the hot zone, so that we can go back to life," Hun Manet said.A JBC can convene when a new government is formed, Thai defence ministry spokesperson Surasant said. Also read: Cambodia reveals damage to UNESCO-listed temple after Thailand clashes A tale of two villages: Cambodians lament Thailand's border gains WEST POINT GRADUATECambodia's long-ruling leader Hun Sen announced that he would hand over power to his son, Hun Manet, after elections held in 2023 in which his ruling Cambodian People's Party ran virtually unopposed.Hun Manet, 48, is a graduate of the US Military Academy at West Point. His ascension, followed by Trump's involvement in the border dispute, has ushered in warmer ties between Washington and Phnom Penh, which had for years been moving closer to China.Manet said relationsh