(Phnom Penh): Marking the first anniversary of the Thai military's aggression against Cambodian territory, Minister of Information Neth Pheaktra said the Ta Om Roundabout in the An Ses border area remains a symbol of Cambodia's sovereignty and a reminder of the destruction inflicted during the 2025 border conflict.
In a commemorative message, Neth Pheaktra said the Ta Om Roundabout had long been under Cambodia's effective administration and exercise of state authority.
He recalled that during the war of aggression against Cambodian territory from 24 to 27 July 2025, the Thai military used heavy weapons to bombard and destroy this site, causing severe damage to infrastructure and property located within Cambodian territory.
According to the minister, the attack was not an accidental incident but part of a broader expansionist ambition that was renewed during the armed conflict from 7 to 27 December 2025.
He said the Thai military used armed force to enter and unlawfully occupy the Ta Om Roundabout, with the apparent objective of creating new facts on the ground and transforming an act of aggression into a de facto military occupation.
Neth Pheaktra underlined that military force, barricades, barbed wire or armed occupation cannot create lawful sovereignty or alter an internationally recognized boundary.
“The Ta Om Roundabout and the An Ses border area remain part of Cambodian territory. The Thai military’s occupation by force is unlawful. It cannot be recognized, normalized or used to establish any territorial right over Cambodian land.”
The minister added the destruction and visible scars left at the Ta Om Roundabout serve as enduring evidence of the use of force against Cambodia's sovereignty and territorial integrity.
He reaffirmed Cambodia's full right under international law to demand an end to the unlawful occupation, the withdrawal of all occupying forces, and the restoration of the situation to its original state.
In his post, Minister Neth Pheaktra emphasized that Cambodia's position is grounded in the fundamental principle of international law that force cannot prevail over law.
=FRESH NEWS
