Defining a hero in a time of aggression is challenging. How do we define a hero? Must a hero be a soldier who is killed in war, an officer, or a leader of men? Must he be highly trained, educated, or even smart? The contemporary world identifies heroes in the context of social media icons, athletes and movie stars, or other elite cultural stars, but the definition of a hero is not embodied in these ephemeral, fickle or trivial moments and endeavours of the human experience. A hero is one who sacrifices him or herself without any expectation of return.…
Author: Guest Writer
Thailand’s continued military aggression against Cambodia is no longer a border dispute — it is a deliberate violation of international law and a calculated act of intimidation against a peaceful neighbour. Despite repeated ceasefire agreements and appeals from the international community, Bangkok has chosen the path of escalation, not peace. The world must now ask: Why does Thailand refuse to end its military aggression, and what justification can it possibly claim? The answer is clear. Thailand’s actions are not defensive — they are expansionist. By launching attacks and occupying positions inside Cambodian territory, Thailand is attempting to rewrite borders by…
The latest flare-up in the long-standing Cambodia-Thailand border dispute has brought tensions to a peak. A wave of nationalism has been building across Cambodia for some time, but in recent weeks, it has intensified like never before. In markets and cafés, people are choosing Cambodian coffee over foreign brands, proudly buying local products and rallying behind our own. It is a show of unity, of pride, of resilience. This national pride is not without cause. The current Cambodia-Thailand conflict has stirred deep anger, anger born of real events. Thailand threatened to cut off our internet. It threatened to halt fuel…
The midnight ceasefire on July 28, should have been a widely welcomed and earnestly debated milestone, offering the sole means to halt further casualties in the Thailand-Cambodia border conflict. Instead, two ASPI analysts seized the moment on July 29 to amplify unverified Thai accusations of Cambodian ceasefire breaches. Most critically, Angela Suriyasenee and Nathan Ruser, in their article published by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) in The Strategist, frame this volatile situation as a premeditated escalation orchestrated by Cambodia, shifting blame to its leaders for allegedly exploiting Thai domestic political and economic fractures for territorial gains. Drawing on satellite…
A long-standing territorial dispute led to a 5-day deadly armed confrontation between Cambodia and Thailand along the border from 24 to 28 July 2025. This short-lived but intense military invasion from Thailand underscored two clear vulnerabilities for Cambodia: First, the fragility of border security; and second, the country’s economic dependencies. As tensions subside, thanks to the immediate and unconditional ceasefire, the current environment presents an unexpected yet strategic and significant economic opportunity: to transform crisis into productive capacity, strengthen domestic production and reduce structural reliance on imports, particularly from Thailand. The surge in nationalist sentiment among Cambodians has fuelled…
Two Cambodian soldiers came home yesterday. Not whole. One carried a broken arm and a deep wound on his side. The other bore no visible scars but carried the heavy burden of trauma. When they were captured, they were healthy. When they were returned, they were changed. Their return brought relief, but also anger. Relief because two of our sons are back on Khmer soil. Anger because eighteen of their brothers remain detained. Anger because promises of full repatriation were delayed, adjusted and reduced to gestures. Anger because even in the language of return, conditions were attached, oaths demanded, narratives…
The recent armed aggression by the Thai military against the Kingdom of Cambodia is not just an assault on our territorial sovereignty — it is an assault on truth itself. While the people of Oddar Meanchey continue to count the cost of Thai airstrikes, Bangkok dares to deny what the world already knows: Thai aircraft dropped bombs, including the deadly MK-84, on Cambodian soil. For days, as the battles raged along our northern border, the Royal Thai Army and Air Force boasted of their “successful missions” to strike Cambodian positions. Thai state-aligned media even parroted these claims, framing their cross-border…
World peace is not made by chance — it requires resolve, leverage and sometimes a willingness to use the instruments of power to save lives. In recent weeks, a brutal border conflict between Cambodia and Thailand claimed dozens of lives and displaced hundreds of thousands. It was at this precipice that US President Donald Trump intervened — and his actions warrant serious consideration for the Nobel Peace Prize. From July 24, escalating clashes along the Cambodia–Thailand border — especially around the disputed Preah Vihear and Ta Mone Thom temples — left at least 41 people dead and displaced 200,000 to 300,000 civilians.…
Once again, Cambodia stands before the international community not with weapons, but with truth and humanity. In the face of Thailand’s unprovoked military attacks on our territory, our nation has chosen transparency, restraint and the rule of law as its shield. While the roar of Thai fighter jets and the echo of explosions disturbed our northern provinces, Cambodia opened its doors to the world, inviting foreign diplomats and military observers to witness reality on the ground. On August 1, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Prak Sokhonn led an unprecedented diplomatic mission to the frontline…
In the heart of Southeast Asia, Cambodia’s youth are dreaming big. They see education as the key to unlocking a brighter future, and China as a gateway to global opportunities. A recent survey of 2,200 Cambodian generation Z youth, administered by the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road Research Center at the Royal University of Phnom Penh and the Center for Cambodian Studies at Beijing Foreign Studies University, painted a vivid picture of their aspirations, challenges, and the pivotal role of education and language in shaping their careers. The Language Advantage: Chinese as a Career Catalyst For Cambodian youth, language is…