5 July 2025

Thailand And Cambodia’s Bizarre Border Conflict – OpEd

Murray Hunter

Over the last month Thai and Cambodian military forces have been stepping up their positions along the 803 km (499 miles) mutual land border. This all begin back on May 28 when a border clash occurred after Cambodian nationalist visited the Prasad Ta Moan temple on land not fully demarcated between the two countries. This escalated when Thai authorities began closing the land borders on June 7 and ordered a full alert of troops along the border. Cambodia reciprocated.

This is all going on while the Thai prime minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra is hanging on for her political life, after the withdraw of the Bhumjaithai Party from the coalition. Paetongtarn has a majority of two seats in a 500 seat parliament. Former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra is under threat of returning to prison after allegations of faking his medical ailments while in prison in 2023/24, In addition, Thaksin is in an all-out feud with his friend for 30 years, former Cambodian prime minister and now president of the Senate Hun Sen. Hun Sen disclosed that Thaksin had faked his sickness, only putting on a neck brace for the photo they took together.

There have been mass demonstrations over the last couple of days demanding the resignation of Paetongtarn Shinawatra as prime minister. On June 15, Hun Sen released a recording of a telephone conversation between Paetongtarn and himself, where Paetongtarn, where she was heard to criticise the leader of the 2nd Army Lieutenant General Boonsin Padklang. Meanwhile, the deputy prime minister and defence minister Phumtham Wechayachai guarantees that a coup is not being contemplated by the military leadership.

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