(Phnom Penh): From the night of 14 October until dawn on 15 October 2025, the loud and disturbing sounds that had previously echoed through Prey Chan and Chouk Chey villages, Ou Beichoan commune, Ou Chrov district, Banteay Meanchey Province, were no longer heard.
Residents of Prey Chan and Chouk Chey villages, who had been deprived of sleep for four consecutive nights due to Thailand’s use of disturbing sounds, were finally able to sleep peacefully last night. The cessation of this psychological warfare campaign followed continuous reactions from both Cambodia and Thailand.
It should be noted that since the night of 10 October, Thai Internet personality Gun Jompalang, with the support of Thai military and Sa Kaeo authorities, began broadcasting disturbing sounds into Cambodian villages of Prey Chan and Chouk Chey.
For four consecutive nights, the sounds included ghostly wails, demonic noises, eerie funeral chants, aircraft sounds, songs, and even video messages. The broadcasts were aired in three to four phases each night: early evening, midnight, post-midnight, and before dawn. On some nights, the sounds lasted continuously from dusk until past midnight.
These terrifying sounds severely affected villagers, including the elderly, persons with disabilities, patients, pregnant women, postpartum mothers, and young children. The nighttime sound broadcasts constituted a grave violation of human rights and psychological torture against the residents of Prey Chan and Chouk Chey villages.
Following these actions, strong and consistent reactions emerged. The Cambodian Human Rights Committee lodged a complaint with the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, emphasizing that the broadcasts violated multiple international human rights instruments, including:
- The Universal Declaration of Human Rights,
- The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR),
- The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR),
- The Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC),
- The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW),
- The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), and
- The Convention Against Torture (CAT).
Not only Cambodian entities but also Thai politicians, human rights advocates, and journalists strongly condemned the broadcasts.
Kavannavee Suebsaeng, Leader of the Justice Party, and Natthapong Ruangpanyawut, Leader of the People's Party, have both spoken out regarding the use of disturbing sounds as a form of psychological intimidation and harassment against Cambodian civilians along the Cambodia-Thailand border, which constitute a serious violation of human rights and international law. These are the fourth and fifth person, following Angkhana Neelapaijit, Member of the Thai Senate, a senior official of the Office of the Prosecutor General and Sunai Phasuk, Advisor to Human Rights Watch in Thailand to recognize this as a serious human rights violation under the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CAT).
=FRESH NEWS
