Cambodia’s application to the International Court of Justice was delivered on June 16, with Thai Prime Minister (left) Paetongtarn Shinawatra’s government declining to submit a joint application. Supplied
As Cambodians who have spent years tracing the fragile threads of peace between Cambodia and Thailand, we hold fast to a vision of a border alive with trade, laughter and shared dreams. But that vision is fading under the weight of Thailand’s relentless provocations, cloaked in a shameless narrative of victimhood. From the killing of a Cambodian soldier on May 28 to Thailand’s stubborn refusal to face the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the evidence piles up: Thailand is orchestrating a dangerous escalation while crying innocence. We unravel this timeline of aggression, expose Thailand’s duplicitous stalling on legal resolution, and lay bare the catastrophic toll on its reputation in ASEAN and the world. For the farmers toiling in Preah Vihear, the traders stranded at checkpoints and the families caught in this crossfire, we demand that Thailand end this reckless charade and embrace justice.
The story begins with a betrayal at dawn. On May 28, 2025, Thai soldiers opened fire in Chong Bok, gunning down an unarmed Cambodian soldier in shorts near a border post — a calculated act of aggression. Yet, Thailand dared to claim self-defence, spinning a tale to the international community that defies belief. This wasn’t defence; it was a use of force with no respect to the principle of proportionality, leaving Cambodian families shattered and trust in tatters. We mourn the fallen, but Thailand’s lies burn hotter than our grief.
Days later, Thailand tightened its grip. By June 7, it slammed shut border crossings unilaterally, choking off trade and stranding workers, only to turn around and accuse Cambodia of blocking Thai goods. This hypocritical blame-shifting ignored Thailand’s first move, which gutted the livelihoods of farmers and merchants on both sides. Imagine a neighbour locking their gate, then yelling at you for not inviting them in — Thailand’s logic is rather absurd.
Thailand upped the ante, threatening to cut electricity and internet services to our border regions, a move aimed at crippling our infrastructure. When Cambodia, in self-preservation, severed these services first, Thailand shrieked that we’d misunderstood their intent. This was not a misunderstanding — Thailand’s threats came first, and their crocodile tears fooled no one. They provoked, then played the wounded party, a pattern as predictable as it is infuriating.
Thailand’s military posturing grew bolder. They raised alarms about Cambodia’s forces moving weapons to the border, branding it a war provocation. But when Cambodia, in self-defence, repositioned its own weapons, Thailand accused us of threatening them, conveniently ignoring their troop buildup. Their war drums fell silent when we matched their resolve, exposing their bluster as a ploy to paint us as aggressors while they stoked the flames.
The climax came on June 14, when Lt Gen Boonsin Padklang, speaking at Chulachomklao Royal Military Academy, declared, “This is my land. If you want it, let’s duel,” dismissing ICJ involvement as “irrelevant”.
It is important to note that this happened hours before the Thai-Cambodia Joint Boundary Commission met in Phnom Penh. This warlike rhetoric, defying the maps agreed upon in a 2000 MoU, poured fuel on the fire just as the JBC convened, mocking Thailand’s hollow claims of seeking peace. Boonsin’s words were a deliberate challenge, undermining diplomacy and emboldening nationalists.
Thailand’s foreign affairs spokesperson had the nerve to lecture Cambodia on neighbourly conduct after we warned of blocking Thai fruit and vegetable imports unless borders reopened normally. “Good neighbours shouldn’t act like that,” they said, conveniently forgetting Thailand’s unilateral closure that sparked our response. This sanctimonious posturing epitomised Thailand’s strategy: Ignite the crisis, then wail as the victim.
Yesterday, June 17, Thailand’s military escalated further, barring Thai citizens from crossing to work in Cambodia, strangling their own people’s livelihoods while deepening the standoff. This move, cloaked in “security” concerns, exposes Thailand’s desperation to maintain control, even at the cost of its own citizens’ welfare. It’s a grim reminder that Thailand’s provocations spare no one — not us, not them.
Thailand’s refusal to face the ICJ is the linchpin of its duplicity. Cambodia appealed to the ICJ for clarity on Mom Bei and Ta Muen Thom, a plea for justice rooted in the 1962 Preah Vihear ruling. Thailand, however, dug in its heels, with foreign minister Maris Sangiampongsa insisting on June 3 that Cambodia’s move wouldn’t derail bilateral talks. The JBC meeting on June 14 ended in a farce, with Thailand claiming “progress” but delivering nothing. Boonsin’s dismissal of the ICJ as “irrelevant” laid bare Thailand’s true intent: dodge legal accountability to preserve domestic bravado. If Thailand craves “legality, justice and peace,” as it trumpets, why fear a court that could settle this once and for all? This stalling is a cowardice, prolonging a crisis that bleeds both nations dry.
Thailand’s actions are torching its reputation. In ASEAN, its refusal to engage the ICJ and its provocative antics have obliterated its standing as a trusted partner. Malaysia’s mediation efforts have been met with tepid responses, fracturing ASEAN’s unity and branding Thailand a pariah. Neighbours like Laos and Vietnam, who prize regional harmony, are drifting toward Cambodia, wary of Thailand’s belligerence. The East Asia Summit looms as a reckoning for Thailand’s folly.
Economically, Thailand’s border closures and our retaliatory import bans on Thai produce — fruit and vegetables — have obliterated millions of dollars in trade, leaving farmers and traders destitute. Today’s restriction on Thai workers crossing into Cambodia deepens this economic carnage, undermining Thailand’s image as a stable trade hub. Neighbours and investors are taking note, questioning whether Thailand can be trusted.
Globally, Thailand’s victim act — claiming self-defence while firing first — has collapsed under scrutiny. Its ICJ refusal paints it as a rogue state shirking accountability, may be further alienating allies like Japan and Australia, who champion legal norms. China and the US, eyeing the region, are poised to exploit this chaos. Through its actions, Thailand undermines its credibility on the world stage. As its deceptions become increasingly transparent, its diplomatic isolation risks deepening.
Internally, the chasm between Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra’s government and the military, exposed by Boonsin’s rhetoric, screams dysfunction. Whether this is a military power grab or sheer incompetence, it invites global scorn, dismantling Thailand’s claim to regional leadership. The world wonders if Bangkok can harmoniously govern its internal institutions, let alone its borders.
Cambodians have shown restraint amid Thailand’s onslaught. Our appeal to the ICJ is a call for justice and a lasting resolution for both current and future generations, not an invitation to conflict. Our (fruit and vegetable) import bans and utility cuts are desperate measures against Thailand’s aggressive warnings. The wounds of Preah Vihear in 2008 remain, yet we refuse to be intimidated. Our people in Preah Vihear — farmers under threat, children dodging fear — deserve safety, not Thai bullets or nationalist venom. Prime Minister Hun Manet’s legal initiative extends an olive branch, only to be met by Thailand’s unyielding resistance.
Thailand, your history with us brims with shared markets and mutual respect, but this cynical game is tearing it apart. You fired first, closed borders first, provoked first — yet you wail as the wounded. Put an end to this charade by reopening the borders back to normalcy, allowing your citizens to work, and confronting the ICJ with integrity. ASEAN, the world, and your own people are watching. Our border should be a tapestry of hope, not a battlefield of deceit. We are ready for peace. Thailand, shed the victim mask and choose justice before your provocations destroy us all.
Long Sovitou is a researcher specialising in Thai Studies at the Center for Southeast Asian Studies, Institute for International Studies and Public Policy at RUPP. Neak Chandarith is a professor of international studies at RUPP. The views and opinions expressed are their own.
