(Phnom Penh): Cambodian Ministry of Cult and Religion strongly protested the presence of Thai authorities and people who continue to illegally conduct religious prayer activities at Ta Krabey Temple and the surrounding areas, which is located within the sovereign territory of Cambodia, according to the statement seen by Fresh News on Friday (Apr. 24).

Despite continued formal protests from the Royal Government of Cambodia, Thai authorities continue to organize public gatherings, hold religious ceremonies, facilitate visits, and conduct other related activities in the area. These unlawful activities constitute a serious violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Cambodia.

The ministry strongly opposes the recent activities, including religious ceremonies, infrastructure construction, and the presence of Thai authorities on Cambodian territory. All of these activities are serious violations of the Franco-Siamese Treaty of 1907, its related delimitation and demarcation instruments, including the maps at scale 1:200,000 and the Procès-Verbaux of the Commissions of Delimitation and Demarcation and the Commission for the Delimitation of the Boundary between Indo-China and Siam, as well as the MOU 2000, the TOR 2003, the Charter of the United Nations, and the fundamental principles of international law, and also violate the competence of the Joint Boundary Commission (JBC) of the two parties.

The ministry strongly protests the presence of senior Thai officials and Thai people who engaged in illegal religious worship at Ta Krabey Temple on 22 April 2026. The presence of these senior officials has shown the character of reinforcing unlawful activities and undermining efforts to resolve the issue peacefully and through negotiations.

The ministry calls on the Royal Thai Government to immediately cease all prayer activities or religious ceremonies at Ta Krabey Temple and other areas within Cambodian sovereignty, as these are serious violations of Cambodia's sovereignty and territorial integrity. Cambodia reiterates its firm commitment to resolving the issue peacefully through existing bilateral mechanisms, particularly the JBC mechanism.
=FRESH NEWS