(Phnom Penh): Kung Phoak, Secretary of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, elaborated on the Royal Government of Cambodia’s letter requesting an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council, which outlined three main objectives.

Kung Phoak spoke on Friday (Jul. 25) during a press conference on the outcomes of the meeting between Cambodian diplomats and foreign envoys at the Ministry.

He explained that the letter sent by Samdech Thipadei Hun Manet to the rotating President of the UN Security Council (UNSC) aimed to:

First, inform the UNSC of the ongoing developments along the border, particularly the Thai military's aggression;

Second, highlight Thailand’s violations against Cambodia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, including the 2000 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), which Thailand itself signed and which remains legally binding on both parties.

According to Kung Phoak, Cambodia’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York had already delivered the letter to Pakistan, the current President of the Security Council, requesting an emergency session to discuss the issue.

He affirmed that a special session of the UNSC was expected to take place later in the afternoon to deliberate on Thailand’s acts of incursion into Cambodian territory. The first goal outlined in Cambodia’s letter was for Thailand to immediately cease all acts of aggression and move towards a ceasefire.

The second point reiterated Cambodia’s sovereign right to self-defense, invoking Article 51 of the UN Charter to protect its territorial integrity. He stressed that, as mentioned repeatedly by Royal Government spokespersons and officials from the defense and foreign ministries, Cambodia has not initiated aggression but is merely defending what is rightfully its own based on internationally recognised laws and maps, not unilateral claims.

The third point outlined Cambodia’s stance that the dispute should be resolved through legal mechanisms in accordance with international law. This includes referring the matter to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for adjudication over four contested areas: Ta Moan Thom, Ta Moan Tauch, Ta Krabei Temple, and the Emerald Triangle area. Cambodia seeks a fair and unbiased ruling based on a clear legal foundation not on interpretation, unilateral actions, or individual opinions.

He also emphasised the importance of honouring the 2000 MoU, in which Thailand agreed to resolve disputes based on maps derived from the 1904 and 1907 Franco-Siamese treaties. These same maps were used by the ICJ in its 1962 judgement, reaffirmed in 2003, to deliver justice in Cambodia’s favour.

He concluded that these three key objectives form the basis of Cambodia’s request for the UN Security Council’s emergency meeting and hoped the discussions would lead to a peaceful and just resolution.
=FRESH NEWS