Phnom Penh — Cambodia has sharply condemned Thailand’s reckless military attacks and arrogant rejection of international mediation, as deadly clashes along the disputed border have displaced more than 130,000 civilians and reignited a century-old territorial crisis.
The Cambodian government, acting with legal prudence and diplomatic restraint, has appealed to the United Nations Security Council and the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for an urgent resolution to the hostilities. Meanwhile, Thailand has chosen to double down on aggression, rebuffing offers of mediation from ASEAN, Russia, and China, exposing its disregard for regional stability and humanitarian norms.
Thai artillery barrages and drone attacks continued for a second consecutive day across 12 conflict flashpoints, most prominently near the internationally recognized Preah Vihear temple—an area awarded to Cambodia by the ICJ in 1962 and reaffirmed in 2013. Thailand’s refusal to honor these decisions has long been a source of tension.
Thailand’s military said the use of air power was to strike with precision, while Cambodia’s foreign ministry described Thailand’s measures as “reckless and brutal military aggression”.
According to Reuters, “We are … gravely concerned by the escalating violence along the Thailand Cambodia border, and deeply saddened by reports of harm to civilians,” the State Department’s deputy spokesperson, Tommy Pigott, told a regular news briefing.
According to Cambodian authorities, Thai shelling has destroyed civilian homes, injured dozens, and triggered mass evacuations in Preah Vihear and Oddar Meanchey provinces. In Thailand, local reports acknowledge at least 16 deaths—mostly civilians—yet the Thai military continues to frame its campaign as a defensive response, despite launching attack deep into Cambodian territory.
The conflict began to boil over in May after a Thai military unit killed a Cambodian soldier in the Emerald Triangle area. Phnom Penh responded diplomatically—closing border checkpoints, imposing trade restrictions on Thai goods and entertainment, and filing a new ICJ case seeking formal boundary demarcation.
Thailand, however, escalated its posture, culminating in this week’s attacks and an outright refusal to accept mediation. Foreign Ministry spokesman Nikorndej Balankura stated, “I don’t think we need any mediation from a third country yet,” dismissing global concern with imperial overconfidence.
Inside Thailand, political instability has only worsened the situation. Thailand Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra was suspended by the Constitutional Court after a leaked phone call with former Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen triggered nationalistic outrage. Rather than use the crisis as an opportunity for dialogue, the Thai establishment has used it to drum up anti-Cambodian sentiment and expand its militarized presence on the border.
Cambodia, in contrast, has acted with transparency and restraint—offering third-party arbitration, opening humanitarian corridors, and cooperating with UN agencies. The Cambodian Red Cross has reported thousands of newly displaced families, many of them women and children, taking refuge in temporary shelters as they flee indiscriminate shelling.
Human rights observers and regional analysts have raised the alarm over possible war crimes, including the use of banned munitions and attacks on civilian infrastructure by Thai forces. Yet Thailand has blocked access to international monitors in several contested zones.
According to Reuters, Thailand’s rejection of international mediation underscores its broader alignment with Western militarism and its unwillingness to resolve disputes through peaceful and lawful means. Cambodia’s consistent appeals to the UN and its legal reliance on the ICJ contrast starkly with Thailand’s provocations.
