Military disputes: why fighting broke out again between Thailand and Cambodia

Fighting on the Thai-Cambodian border has escalated into the largest escalation in recent months. The Thai Air Force launched airstrikes against Cambodian military installations in response to the attacks, and the country's ground forces launched operations to "retake sovereign territory" in Sakau province. More than 385 thousand residents have been evacuated, schools have been closed, and escalation is taking place at the border — Russian citizens have not asked for help. The parties mutually accuse each other of violating the truce reached through the mediation of Donald Trump. What makes new clashes almost inevitable and whether the United States will return to a settlement is in the Izvestia article.

Thailand and Cambodia exchanged blows

The clashes between Thailand and Cambodia, which resumed over the weekend, escalated into the largest escalation in recent months. On December 8, the situation worsened: The sides exchanged accusations of violating the truce, and Thailand deployed its air force, striking military targets on the territory of a neighboring state. According to the Thai newspaper Khaosod, this happened after Cambodian soldiers opened fire on Thai security forces. Two soldiers were injured. However, the Khmer Times stated that it was Thailand that first attacked the Cambodian positions.

The escalation continued on December 8. According to Khaosod, Cambodia attacked the Anupong military base, killing a Thai soldier and wounding two others. Bangkok has scrambled F-16 fighter jets to launch retaliatory strikes, while registering new clashes along the border. The Thai army also reported shelling civilian areas in Buriram province. In addition, M113 armored personnel carriers were deployed to the Cambodian border, the newspaper writes.

Against this background, the Thai authorities ordered the evacuation of about 70% of civilians in the border areas — over 385 thousand people in total, including students from more than 600 schools. At the same time, Russian citizens did not apply to the Russian Embassy for help. Tensions on the Thai-Cambodian border have no impact on the safety of Russian tourists, the Russian Union of Tourism Industry (PCT) told reporters.

Phnom Penh blamed Bangkok for the escalation. The chairman of the Cambodian Senate and former Prime Minister Hun Sen said that the neighboring country uses "all kinds of weapons" and violates the October peace declaration signed in Kuala Lumpur. The country's Ministry of Information has already reported four dead and nine injured in the shelling.

The causes of the conflict between Thailand and Cambodia

The key reasons for the resumption of hostilities remain the unresolved borders and the internal political situation in the countries, said Dmitry Mosyakov, head of the Center for the Study of Southeast Asia, Australia and Oceania at the Institute of Economics of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

— Thailand still does not recognize the decision of the Hague Court on the ownership of the temple of Preahvihear Cambodia, while the surrounding area is considered to be under the jurisdiction of Thailand. It is precisely because of the ambiguity of the border line that incidents regularly occur, including mine explosions and deaths. Until the demarcation is completed, such clashes will be repeated," the expert told Izvestia.

The conflict over the temple is often used by both Thailand and Cambodia as a tool of national consolidation during periods of internal crises. According to Mosyakov, a difficult political struggle is currently underway in Thailand: the Phya Thai party has been removed from power, and the leadership has gradually shifted to more conservative forces that intend to dissolve the national assembly, hold elections and consolidate a new political course. In such a situation, Mosyakov believes, it is important for the authorities to demonstrate determination and the position of "defenders of the sacred temple."

Thus, the Prime Minister of Thailand remains a compromise figure and has to take into account the interests of the army, which traditionally plays a significant role in governing the country, Grigory Kucherenko, a junior researcher at the sector of New Challenges in South and Southeast Asia at the Center for the Indian Ocean Region of the Russian Academy of Sciences, tells Izvestia. The military, as the expert emphasizes, is striving to consolidate a hard line on the border, since escalation allows them to strengthen their own influence.

Thailand, in turn, announced the start of an operation to "reclaim sovereign territory" in Sakau Province. Bangkok accuses Cambodia of expanding settlements on Thai land and demands the withdrawal of citizens of a neighboring state. First of all, we are talking about the village of Ban Nong Chan, a former refugee camp during the Cambodian-Vietnamese conflict in 1979, where many immigrants subsequently stayed to live. Cambodia later claimed the territory.

The Legacy of French Indochina

The border dispute has its roots in the demarcation of the borders between Siam and French Indochina in 1898-1907. Due to the inaccessibility of mountainous areas, several sites have not been definitively designated.

In 2000-2001, the parties agreed on a temporary line of demarcation and neutral zones, which were to operate until complete demarcation. However, it was never completed. From 2005 to 2025, several heavy clashes took place in the disputed areas, including the events of 2011 and the four-day war of 2025.

— The demarcation has begun, but the process has been dragging on for many years. They even had a joint commission on the delimitation of borders, but Cambodia constantly slowed down this process. Despite some small successes recently, the problem still remains extremely acute. Therefore, if necessary, the parties can easily return to the conflict," notes Grigory Kucherenko.

In the spring of this year, Thailand and Kabmodja again accused each other of violating the cease-fire. Washington then used trade negotiations as an instrument of pressure. Donald Trump, who intervened in the settlement, claimed that he had "stopped the war" with tariffs and was confident that the situation "would be fine." The truce after the 2025 fighting came into force on July 29, and it was agreed at talks in Kuala Lumpur with the participation of the United States, China and Malaysia. However, no stable mechanism for monitoring the truce was created, the incidents continued, and the mutual accusations only intensified.

— The old reasons haven't gone away either. The conflict over the Preahvihear Temple remains significant for both sides. In my opinion, the political reasons here dominate over the economic ones. Even though the United States has stopped raising tariffs, politics is more important for Thais," Grigory Kucherenko told Izvestia.

Washington is more likely to return as an intermediary, the expert believes. This fits into the logic of Trump the peacemaker. According to Kucherenko, public statements by the US president and new attempts to pressure the parties to the conflict can be expected in the near future. However, he draws attention to the fact that Thailand has already announced the closure of negotiation channels with external participants.

According to Dmitry Mosyakov, the current escalation may be delayed, as political changes in Thailand will take place slowly. As a result, the border conflict will continue to serve as a convenient tool for demonstrating a patriotic agenda and fighting a strong opposition.