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

Washington - Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet told Reuters on Tuesday that Thai forces are occupying Cambodian territory after fighting last year despite a peace accord brokered by U.S. 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 centers that have proliferated in the country.

Hun Manet traveled 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.

The Thai foreign ministry did not immediately respond to queries about Hun Manet's comments.

'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 508-mile (817-km) 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 December 27.

"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 recognized 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.