On the morning of July 24, gunfire echoed along the Cambodia-Thailand border. As tensions flare and speculation swirls, it is important to set the record straight. Cambodia did not start this conflict and has every reason not to. From history and politics to defence realities, economic interdependence and people-to-people bonds, every dimension of Cambodia’s national interest aligns with peace, not war.
Drawing from its own tragic history, Cambodia knows the true cost of conflict better than most nations. The decades of civil conflict, foreign occupation and genocide in the 1970s and 1980s left profound scars on Cambodia, with over two million lives lost and generations affected by trauma. The country’s past compels it to choose peace, always. As Prime Minister Hun Manet said in 2024, “Peace is the foundation on which all else is built. Without peace, there can be no development, no prosperity and no future”. Cambodia’s journey from the killing fields to peace and prosperity is a hard-won transformation that no rational leadership would risk reversing through conflict.
From a defence standpoint, Cambodia’s military is structured for territorial defence, not for power projection or aggression. With a defence budget of approximately $1.3 billion in 2024, among the lowest in the region, the country’s force posture reflects a defensive doctrine and a lack of external military ambitions. The Kingdom has neither the strategic interest nor the political calculus to initiate hostilities, let alone against a larger neighbour like Thailand. Any suggestion of Cambodian military adventurism is not only implausible but fundamentally at odds with the country’s priorities and principles.
Politically, Cambodia is firmly grounded in the principles of non-aggression, peaceful coexistence and respect for international law. As a responsible member of the international community, Cambodia upholds the ASEAN Charter and the UN Charter, both of which categorically prohibit the threat or use of force. Today, Cambodia is an active member of the UN Peacebuilding Commission’s Organizational Committee (OCPBC), supporting peacebuilding efforts globally. Since 2006, the country has also contributed more than 9,000 personnel to 11 UN peacekeeping missions. To launch a first attack on Thailand would run counter to these principles and fundamentally contradict Cambodia’s long-standing posture on the international stage.
Economically, Cambodia has every reason to preserve and deepen peaceful ties with Thailand. In 2023, bilateral trade surpassed $10 billion, making Thailand one of Cambodia’s top trading partners. Over 1.2 million Cambodians worked in Thailand, sending vital remittances home and contributing to both economies. Meanwhile, tourism and cross-border commerce continued to thrive, with hundreds of thousands of people moving between the two countries each year, reinforcing strong economic and people-to-people ties. In this context, disrupting such an essential economic lifeline through conflict would serve no rational purpose for Cambodia.
The recent escalation, however, is the direct result of deliberate actions by Thailand that blatantly violate the 2000 memorandum of understanding on land boundary demarcation (MoU 2000). This MoU, solemnly and voluntarily signed by both nations, prohibits unilateral moves in undemarcated areas. Yet Thailand has wilfully disregarded this commitment, reportedly violating the MoU, invoking a unilateral map and deploying forces into contested territory. This is a breach of trust and a serious affront to international law.
Even more disturbing is the apparent use of this manufactured tension as a political smokescreen to distract from domestic turmoil. Cambodia has endured this pattern far too often. From the anti-Cambodian riots in Bangkok in 2003, fuelled by inflammatory rhetoric, to the armed border clashes between 2008 and 2011, Thailand’s internal instability has repeatedly spilled across the border. Time and again, nationalist fervour has been weaponised, and Cambodia made the scapegoat. These tactics not only dishonour the principles of diplomacy and international law; they corrode regional stability and exploit peace for political convenience.
Let it be stated plainly and unequivocally: Cambodia is a sovereign nation, not a pawn in another country’s political game. The Kingdom will not stand idle while its sovereignty is violated and its goodwill exploited.
As Cambodia marks 70 years of membership in the UN this year, a moment that should be one of reflection and quiet pride is now overshadowed by the weight of unprovoked aggression. Cambodia’s sovereignty is under direct threat, and Cambodia is compelled, within the bounds of international law, to act in self-defence against Thailand’s invasion and hostile actions to protect its people and territorial integrity.
In this moment of grave concern, Cambodia calls upon the UN and the international community to act with urgency: to uphold the UN Charter, to defend the rule of law and to reaffirm the universal right of all nations, large or small, to exist in dignity, free from fear, coercion and unlawful force. This is not only a test of Cambodia’s resolve, but a test of the very principles the international community has vowed to uphold. The world must not look away.
Chanpisey Ung is a visiting fellow at the Harvard University Asia Center. The views and opinions expressed are his own.
