Cambodian Minister of Information Neth Pheaktra has renewed his warning that competing stories about the Cambodia-Thailand border dispute should be measured against facts and international law, not publicity or military control.

He said legitimate sovereignty cannot be settled by narratives or force on the ground.

Referring to a lesson he attributed to the late Deputy Prime Minister Sok An, who had long experience in diplomacy and in handling the Thai border issue, Pheaktra recalled that Sok An once joked that Thai diplomats could make a major problem appear trivial and a minor incident appear enormous.

The minister stressed that the remark was about communication strategy rather than a criticism of every Thai official. He said it was possible for a serious wrong to be presented as small and for a small event to be inflated into a major controversy.

Accusations over border positions

Applying that idea to the current dispute, Pheaktra alleged that Thai forces had taken control of places inside Cambodia, installed razor wire and shipping-container barriers, and tried to make a change on the ground appear settled.

He said Cambodia had filed several diplomatic protests and had assembled a dossier of evidence to support its claims. He also pointed to a map he presented, which he said showed the paths of Thai artillery, drones and fighter jets during a strike on Preah Vihear Temple last year.

Thailand denies occupation

Thailand has rejected Cambodia's accusation of illegal territorial occupation. In a statement on the border situation, its foreign ministry said that keeping troops in their positions after the ceasefire was consistent with agreed measures and should not be treated as an occupation.

Thailand has also accused Cambodia of laying new landmines along the border, a claim Cambodia disputes.

Disputed incidents and evidence

Pheaktra questioned Thailand's focus on mine explosions that wounded Thai soldiers. He accused the Thai side of using those incidents to shift attention away from damage Cambodia attributes to Thai aircraft bombs, including MK-82 and MK-84 bombs, and from its allegations of territorial encroachment.

He said the late Sok An's work on Preah Vihear showed why historical documents, evidence, international law and peaceful mechanisms remained essential to resolving the dispute.

Calling on the public to separate claims about events from proof that can establish what happened, he argued that language can shape perception but cannot alter truth, and that borders must be determined by law rather than propaganda or military force.