The Cambodian Ministry of National Defence has issued a series of rebuttals over the past several days, accusing multiple Thai media outlets and official Thai military channels of spreading “false, fabricated and malicious” information amid ongoing armed clashes along the border from December 7 to 12 — as we enter the fifth consecutive day of Thai airstrikes and artillery attacks on Cambodian territory.
In a string of public statements, the defence ministry denounced what it described as a !coordinated disinformation campaign” designed to distort the situation on the ground, shift blame and justify Thailand’s escalating use of force.
One of the earliest rejections targeted Thai journalist Wassana Nanuam, who reported that Cambodia had fired rockets into a civilian community in Trat province.
The ministry said the claim was “false, fabricated information, intended solely to malign Cambodia”, urging Thai reporters to “immediately cease deliberately spreading false information aimed at misleading the public”.
“The Thai media must uphold their dignity and professionalism as members of the press,” the statement added.
The ministry issued similar condemnations after the Royal Thai Air Force published allegations claiming Cambodia had mobilised additional troops near Chanthaburi–Trat and was preparing attacks. Phnom Penh called the accusations baseless and politically motivated.
“Cambodia has been firmly adhering to peaceful dispute resolution in accordance with international law, treaties, and existing agreements,” the ministry stressed.
“The Thai side must immediately stop disseminating false information aimed at diverting attention from its violations of international law,” it added.
Further denials were issued after Thai media outlets, including PPTV HD 36 claimed Cambodia was using foreign nationals to operate FPV drones in the border conflict.
The ministry said the accusation was entirely fabricated and designed to “paint Cambodia in a negative light, thereby justifying the use of more brutal weapons”.
The ministry also rejected reports from Amarin News — which shares a name with the third Thai prime minister since 2023 — alleging Cambodian forces had fired on Thai troops across multiple areas.
Phnom Penh countered that the opposite was true: “It is the Thai military that launched the attack and continues to shoot, violate and invade Cambodia’s sovereign territory,” it said.
Thairath’s report suggesting Cambodia was preparing to deploy PHL-03 multiple-rocket launchers was likewise dismissed as propaganda.
The pattern continued with a denial of claims published by Thailand’s 2nd Army Area Facebook page accusing Cambodia of relying on foreigners to operate drones.
The ministry repeated that the information was “false, fabricated, and intended only to malign Cambodia”.
Across all statements, Cambodia maintained a consistent message: Thai authorities and several Thai media outlets are spreading misinformation to legitimise escalating military actions and obscure Thailand’s violations of Cambodian sovereignty.
“Cambodia demands that the Thai side immediately cease all deliberate dissemination of false information,” the ministry said, in each of its responses.
“These disinformation campaigns are intended to malign Cambodia and justify the expansion of its invasion,” it added.
The ministry emphasised that despite the intensifying clashes and what it calls a surge of hostile narratives from Bangkok, Cambodia remains committed to a peaceful and lawful resolution of the conflict.
