Cambodia protests Thai-led media visit to occupied border area

The Cambodian Ministry of Information has strongly protested what it described as “repeated violations” after Thai personnel allegedly escorted foreign journalists, including Australia’s ABC News, into the O’Smach area without prior notification or permission from Cambodian authorities. The ministry stated that O’Smach is under Cambodia’s full sovereignty and territorial integrity, and that any unauthorised entry into the area, as well as the production of what it called “fabricated information”, amounted to a serious violation of international law. The protest followed an ABC News report that included rare access inside what the broadcaster described as a scam compound on the Cambodia-Thailand border. In the video, the ABC crew appeared to be escorted by Thai military personnel, who pointed out documents allegedly used by scam operators to deceive overseas victims.

Information ministry spokesperson Tep Asnarith said Thailand had no right or jurisdiction to bring journalists or foreign nationals into Cambodian territory to conduct reporting. He said the action violated Cambodia’s sovereignty and ran counter to international law, including the UN Charter, which requires states to respect the territorial integrity and political independence of other states. “The Ministry of Information strongly protests the repeated violations by the Thai side, which recently brought foreign journalists, including ABC media, into the O’Smach area, which is under the full sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Cambodia,” Asnarith said. He added that the visit was conducted without prior notification to, or approval from, Cambodian authorities in the area.

According to the ministry, any reporting produced from such unauthorised activities was politically motivated and intended to create a negative image of Cambodia on the international stage. “We completely reject all content, information sources and reports that were arranged and produced from these violating activities,” Asnarith said. He accused the Thai side of using the presence of foreign media to fabricate narratives and distort Cambodia’s reputation, saying international audiences should examine the situation carefully based on facts and international law. The ministry also said Cambodia and Thailand already have several bilateral border mechanisms, and that unilateral entry into the area without Cambodian approval undermined diplomatic protocol and trust between the two neighbours.

Asnarith recalled that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation had previously issued a formal diplomatic protest over Thai-led visits by foreign journalists, military attachés and law enforcement officials to the O’Smach area. In February, the foreign ministry protested after a group of foreign military attachés and law enforcement officials, led by Thai military intelligence, allegedly inspected two hotels in the district without the consent of the Cambodian government. The foreign ministry noted at the time that the hotels were located 397 metres from the O’Smach International Checkpoint near Border Pillar No. 15, in an area Cambodia says was occupied by Thai armed forces during military operations between December 7 and 27, 2025. Cambodia considered the visit an unlawful exercise of Thai sovereignty and an attempt to legitimise Thailand’s occupation of Cambodian territory.

The ABC report documented what it described as evidence left inside a scam compound, including victim lists, scam scripts, barred windows, surveillance cameras, handcuffs, batons, blood-testing equipment and basement rooms allegedly used to detain and torture workers who failed to meet scam quotas. The report said scam operators had allegedly impersonated Australian Federal Police officers to convince victims they were being defrauded before extracting financial details from them. The latest protest has also revived debate among Cambodian media professionals over how international journalists should report from disputed or sensitive border areas. Club of Cambodian Journalists president Puy Kea said the ABC report was not problematic in exposing online scam operations, which he described as a global concern. However, he suggested that the report should have clearly explained that the location was in a sensitive border area claimed by Cambodia as part of its sovereign territory.

By contrast, Cambodian Journalists Alliance Association executive director Nop Vy said the ABC report appeared to focus on the scam compound rather than the territorial dispute, and did not explicitly claim whether the location belonged to Cambodia or Thailand. He said from a journalism perspective, the issue would become problematic only if the reporter had asserted territorial ownership without proper verification. The information ministry, however, maintained that press freedom could not be used to justify unauthorised entry into Cambodian territory or reporting conducted through the arrangement of one side in a sensitive border area. Asnarith said media freedom must go hand in hand with responsibility and respect for national sovereignty.