Just hours after talks with US President Donald Trump, Thai forces used American-made F-16 fighter jets to bomb Cambodian civilian infrastructure. Civilian bridges were destroyed, shelling spread into Koh Kong province, and additional tens of thousands of innocent civilians were forced to flee for their lives. If Thailand does not even listen to or respect the US president, then who can stop its brutal attacks on Cambodian civilians?
This is not a battle between armed forces. It is a one-sided assault on human lives. Advanced warplanes raining destruction on villages and towns leave families homeless, infrastructure in ruins, and countless civilians killed or wounded. These are not accidental strikes. They are deliberate attacks on bridges, roads and areas that sustain civilian life.
A grave question arises. Who does Thailand respect if it ignores even the president of the United States? If diplomatic appeals cannot stop this violence, what does that say about accountability, justice, and international norms?
Another urgent question is whether American-made F-16 jets were sold to Thailand to be used against innocent Cambodians. The use of US-supplied weapons to attack civilians is not just morally shocking, but also a violation of the very principles that underpin international law. Responsibility lies not only with the perpetrators but also with those who provide the means to harm the innocent.
Equally disturbing is the silence of the international community. Why does the world remain quiet while Thailand unleashes brutal attacks on Cambodia? How many more children, women and elderly people must be killed or injured before action is taken? How many families must be uprooted before the world enforces international law rather than just citing it?
Cambodian civilians are paying the heaviest price for this silence. Tens of thousands have fled their homes. Children cry for their parents. The elderly tremble in fear. Families live in constant uncertainty, not because of war, but because of impunity.
How long will the world allow Cambodian civilians to suffer? Silence in the face of such violence is not neutrality. It is complicity. Every day that passes without action puts more innocent lives in danger.
Neang Sopheap is a Phnom Penh-based analyst. The views and opinions expressed are his own.
