BANGKOK — Thailand has criticised a United Nations special rapporteur’s report on Cambodia, accusing the UN rights mechanism of lacking balance and relying on distorted information while exceeding the scope of its mandate.
In a letter dated 7 August to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Thailand’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Sihasak Phuangketkeow, said the government was deeply disappointed by the credibility and accountability of the end-of-mission statement issued by Tom Andrews, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Cambodia, following his official visit to the country from 20-31 July.
Thailand said the statement should have focused primarily on the human rights situation in Cambodia but instead made several allegations against Thailand.
The government said the approach went beyond the mandate granted to the UN Human Rights Council and criticised Andrews for allegedly failing to give Thailand sufficient opportunity and time to present its facts and views before the statement and accompanying press conference were released.
Thailand also accused the statement of containing several distorted claims that had not been adequately verified.
The government said this was inconsistent with the Code of Conduct for Special Procedures mandate holders of the UN Human Rights Council, which requires mandate holders to act ethically and professionally, engage constructively and assess facts objectively based on internationally recognised human rights standards.
Thailand said it had regularly provided relevant information to the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights through available channels, including letters to the office, statements to the UN Human Rights Council and responses to complaints in June 2026.
The government argued that failing to consider the facts and views of all relevant parties had caused the statement to depart from the principles of neutrality, impartiality and fact-based reporting, as well as the mandate of the special procedures.
It also expressed concern that the statement had subsequently been used to fuel political narratives by interested parties.
Thailand disputes account of Cambodia conflict
Thailand said it had already informed the UN High Commissioner during discussions in Geneva that the conflict between Thailand and Cambodia and its consequences did not originate with Thailand.
According to the letter, Thailand said Cambodia had initiated the conflict by attacking civilian targets and hospitals in Thailand without provocation and without distinction on 24 July 2026.
Thailand said the attacks resulted in Thai civilians being killed and injured and forced hundreds of thousands of people to flee their homes.
The government said these issues were not reflected in the special rapporteur’s statement, which it accused of presenting several distorted facts and statistics.
Thailand said its Ministry of Foreign Affairs had already issued a statement addressing the matter and attached it to the letter for the UN office’s consideration.
Thailand pledges continued cooperation
Thailand said it had continued cooperating with UN Human Rights Council special procedures and mandate holders since the conflict began and expected the same level of cooperation to be reciprocated.
The government said it was regrettable that the special procedures’ approach had shown significant shortcomings in professionalism and impartiality by failing to consider relevant facts and perspectives from all sides in a comprehensive and balanced manner before making the statement public.
Thailand said the approach failed to respect the country as a party directly involved in the matter and risked allowing the special procedures mandate to be used for political purposes.
Despite its criticism, Thailand said that as a member of the UN Human Rights Council, it remained committed to cooperating with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and the council’s special procedures.