UN rapporteur warns Cambodia faces intersecting human rights challenges ahead of elections News
Aerra Carnicom, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
UN rapporteur warns Cambodia faces intersecting human rights challenges ahead of elections

The UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Cambodia, Tom Andrews, on Wednesday stated that Cambodia has multiple opportunities to improve the human rights situation and fulfill its human rights commitments despite persistent challenges such as the border conflict with Thailand and the cyber scam crisis.

In a statement concluding his official mission to Cambodia, Tom Andrews expressed concern about the current human rights situation in the country, which is marked by the displacement of thousands of people along the border with Thailand due to armed conflict, human trafficking, arbitrary arrests and other restrictions on freedom of expression and the right to peaceful assembly. On this issue, he stressed the need to open civic space, protect press freedom and respect the rights of the political opposition ahead of the upcoming elections scheduled for 2027.

Additionally, Andrews highlighted the humanitarian crisis along the Cambodian-Thai border related to the conflict that erupted in 2025. According to the UN Special Rapporteur, nearly 650,000 Cambodian citizens were displaced in border regions at the end of 2025, with over 20,000 people still displaced to this day and unable to return to their hometowns, which are controlled by Thai soldiers.

On this matter, Tom Andrews emphasized that Thailand and Cambodia must work together to facilitate the return of displaced civilians. He added that the 2025 ceasefire agreement between Cambodia and Thailand stipulates that citizens be allowed to return to their homes safely and without obstruction.

Furthermore, Andrews addressed the cyber scam crisis with the Cambodian government, acknowledging the authorities’ efforts to dismantle criminal networks. However, he raised concerns about the lack of accountability for senior officials implicated in these operations alongside the conditions of the victims of trafficking who were released from scam compounds.

Despite this, the UN Special Rapporteur expressed optimism for the future of Cambodian citizens and the broader human rights situation in the country, emphasizing his commitment to supporting the government in fulfilling its human rights obligations.

The UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) warned in July about the growing complexity and the expansion of international crime syndicates across Southeast Asia, with Cambodia experiencing heavily fortified scam compounds where hundreds of thousands of individuals have been trafficked and subjected to abuses such as torture and forced labour.

In June, Amnesty International released a report revealing that despite Cambodia’s crackdown on cyber scam compounds, authorities have failed to dismantle most operations and to provide adequate protection for trafficking victims. Cambodia also experienced an armed conflict with Thailand over a century-old border dispute that resulted in several deaths and a displacement crisis. The country is scheduled to hold communal elections on June 6, 2027, followed by a general election in 2028.

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