Why are the Thai government and military so eager to accuse Cambodia over landmines, when the incident that injured Thai soldiers clearly occurred inside Cambodian territory? The answer lies in Thailand’s deliberate manipulation of the truth — a calculated attempt to portray itself as a victim while casting Cambodia as the aggressor. Cambodia has been forthright with Thailand and the international community for decades: the border regions remain contaminated with landmines, a tragic legacy of wars that scarred our land. Despite massive clearance operations with international support, not all mines have been removed. Thailand knows this, because Cambodia has repeatedly…
Author: Guest Writer
When Thai soldiers forced families from their homes in Banteay Meanchey province’s Prey Chan village, one local woman in her sixties could only compare their cruelty to the forced evictions of the Khmer Rouge. I spoke to Aunty Nuon Aun over the phone on August 15. She told me how Thai soldiers forced her to leave her home and fenced her house off with barbed wire on August 13. Here is her account. My name is Nuon Aun. I am 62 years old. My husband is Taing Ny, is 61 years old. He lost his leg to a landmine in…
In an age of instant headlines and 24-hour media cycles, even a brief armed clash along the disputed border can reach far beyond the battlefield. The recently epitomised “five-day war” between Cambodia and Thailand was not a war in the conventional sense, but it was a concentrated performance of statecraft, where politics, diplomacy and cartography intertwined with deadly ammunition. The border disputes between the two eternal neighbours, bound not by choice but by geography, history and interdependence, have lasted for centuries. However, the most recent armed clash, brief but sharp, is worth closer scrutiny because it reveals three enduring truths…
I speak today as a Cambodian and as a human being, appealing to the conscience of the international community: witness the truth, defend peace and reject the misuse of history for aggression. For more than five centuries, Cambodia has endured loss — of land, people and identity. We are a small nation among giants, militarily and economically weaker than our neighbours. Yet we have never sought to invade or provoke. We seek only survival and the right to give our children the peace we were denied. On July 28, a ceasefire — witnessed by the US, China and ASEAN —…
Cambodia, a nation both small in size and profound in spirit, has endured a turbulent history marked by devastating wars, internal upheaval and the tragic Khmer Rouge genocide that claimed millions of lives. Only in recent decades has Cambodia begun the painstaking process of reconstruction, gradually reclaiming peace and nurturing hope for a brighter future. Yet, despite these hard-fought gains, the threat of conflict continues to cast a shadow over our homeland. How much longer must our nation endure the weight of hostility and insecurity? When will Cambodia finally know lasting peace and stability? Our history is marked not only…
Thailand’s latest accusations against Cambodia are not just false — they are a calculated provocation designed to inflame tensions and mask its own violations of the ceasefire and international law. On August 10 and 12 2025, Bangkok claimed Cambodian forces had recently planted anti-personnel mines in Oddar Meanchey and Preah Vihear provinces. These claims are baseless, unsupported by evidence and intended to shift blame. The absurdity reached new heights when The Nation reported that Thai forces had photographed a Cambodian soldier laying a new mine. If such an event truly occurred, why didn’t they arrest the individual? Why only take…
It is always problematic when there are two distinct factions in a country’s strategic diplomacy. Thailand clearly suffers from this issue. The military and the government purport to represent a unitary position but in fact they have two different perspectives, personalities and voices. This division presents particular challenges for not only their neighbours, in terms of interpreting their true intentions, but also for Western countries and the wider world. It is extremely difficult to understand their actions within the context of their words. With an aggressive military on one hand and a diplomatic civilian government on the other, it becomes…
The Cambodian government cannot be held responsible for the Thai military’s failure to properly de-mine areas under Thai sovereignty. With respect to land mines and other types of unexploded ordnance, it is important to recognise that the areas where the Thais have experienced casualties are understood to be areas that have been subjected to various types of mining operations, aerial bombardment and artillery shelling. These are not areas that should be considered safe, particularly when compared to areas that are more well-travelled. There is an additional consideration that must be made. With GPS technology, there is no reason for Thai…
Cambodian people must see the truth: the Thai Army is not only fighting on the battlefield — it is waging a dirty information war through the Thai media. This war is fought with lies, half-truths and fake news, designed to poison public opinion inside Thailand and mislead the world. From local Thai outlets to Thai journalists working for big-name international agencies like Reuters, the story is always the same — word-for-word what the Thai generals want the world to hear. They don’t check with Cambodian sources. They don’t report both sides. They act like scribes, not journalists. This is the…
The statement made by Lieutenant General Boonsin Phadklang, Commander of Thailand’s Second Army Region, on August 12 was more than reckless — it was a dangerous fabrication designed to ignite conflict. His claim that Cambodia “secretly planted landmines” after troop withdrawal is not supported by evidence, yet it is already being weaponised as a pretext for military aggression. This is not the language of peace. This is the language of war. The commander’s narrative is riddled with contradictions. If the incident truly took place deep inside Thai territory, as claimed, then the Thai military bears full responsibility for the safety…