Phnom penh: The Royal Government of Cambodia (RGC) has strongly protested against the visit by the Prime Minister of Thailand to the An Seh area in Choam Ksan district, Preah Vihear province, on August 23, 2026, describing the visit as an unauthorised act in Cambodia's sovereign territory. According to Agence Kampuchea Presse, in a press release issued on Wednesday by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, the RGC stated that the visit constituted a deliberate attempt to assert illegitimate claims over Cambodian territory, which had been occupied by Thai armed forces since last year. The RGC emphasized that no legal right can arise from an unlawful act and that the alleged occupation of Cambodian sovereign territory cannot be legitimised by the visit from the Thai Prime Minister. The RGC described the visit as a violation of Cambodia's sovereign territory as defined by the 1:200,000-scale maps produced by the Commissions of Delimitation of the Boundary between Indo-China and Siam, as well as Item I of the Joint Statement of the 3rd Special General Border Committee (GBC) Meeting on December 27, 2025. The Joint Statement explicitly prohibits provocative actions that could escalate tensions along the border, the press release noted. The RGC underscored that neither a unilaterally drawn map nor a visit based on such a map can alter the internationally recognised boundary. Cambodia reiterated that it does not accept any boundary line or territorial claim unilaterally asserted by Thailand, stressing that the Thai Prime Minister's visit would not prejudice Cambodia's legal rights or position concerning its international boundary. The RGC called on Thailand to cease such actions in the An Seh area and other areas occupied by Thai armed forces since last year. Cambodia said such measures would help de-escalate the situation, build mutual trust, facilitate the peaceful settlement of disputes, and restore peace, stability, and good-neighbourly relations along the Cambodia-Thailand border. The RGC reaffirmed its commitment to resolving all boundary disputes with Thailand, as with all neighbouring countries, exclusively through peaceful means, in accordance with international law and existing bilateral agreements. At the same time, Cambodia reiterated its position that international borders must not be changed by force.