Cambodia Accuses Thailand of Attempting Illegal Annexation of Border Village During Ceasefire

[Financial News] The Kingdom of Cambodia has claimed that Thailand is illegally annexing villages near the border even after agreeing to a ceasefire.
According to Agence France-Presse (AFP) on the 3rd (local time), Net Pheaktra, Minister of Information of Cambodia, stated in an interview, "The Royal Thai Armed Forces (RTARF) have begun illegally annexing Cambodian territory in Chok Chey village, Banteay Meanchey Province."
He added that the RTARF destroyed Cambodian civilian buildings, installed barbed wire and containers to create a 'border fence,' and deployed troops to control the disputed area.
Minister Net Pheaktra emphasized, "The act of hoisting the Thai flag is clear evidence of a unilateral claim of sovereignty," and stressed, "The Kingdom of Cambodia will not recognize any border changes resulting from the use of force by Thailand." The Ministry of Information of Cambodia provided AFP with a map marking the areas where the RTARF is stationed in regions Cambodia claims as its own.
However, the RTARF refuted Cambodia's claims and denied allegations of forcibly occupying territory.
In a statement, the RTARF asserted, "The area in question was originally a place where Cambodian troops were stationed and Cambodian civilians had settled, encroaching upon Thai territory." The RTARF did not specify the exact location in its statement.
Meanwhile, Thailand and the Kingdom of Cambodia have been embroiled in a territorial dispute for over a century at undemarcated points along the 817-kilometer border first surveyed by France in 1907, when Cambodia was under colonial rule. Last year, the two countries engaged in armed conflict that left 28 people dead, and just last month, they fought for nearly three weeks before reaching a ceasefire. The clashes last month resulted in at least 101 deaths in both countries and displaced more than one million people.
rsunjun@fnnews.com Yoo Sun-joon Reporter