Well-armed but ill-prepared: Cambodia’s BHQ loses battle, again
Cambodia’s BHQ, Hun Sen’s elite guard unit, is well-equipped but lacks battlefield proficiency. Trained for urban combat, they were thrown into the jungle terrain of the Phanom Dongrak Mountains, only to suffer defeat at Ta Kwai Temple—a painful echo of their 2011 loss at Preah Vihear.
- Cambodia's elite Bodyguard Headquarters (BHQ) was defeated by Thai forces in a recent battle at Ta Kwai Temple, which they attempted to seize just before a ceasefire.
- This loss echoes a previous engagement in 2011, where the BHQ's advance against Thai forces was also stalled, highlighting a pattern of defeat in border combat.
- Despite being well-armed and having received significant modernization since 2011, the unit failed in its objective against Thailand's elite troops.
- The article suggests the BHQ is ill-prepared for conventional combat because its primary function is to serve as a political force protecting Prime Minister Hun Sen and his family's power.
Just before midnight on July 28, 2025, Ta Kwai Temple became the scene of intense fighting after Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen ordered elite troops from the Bodyguard Headquarters (BHQ) to engage Thai forces in an apparent attempt to establish a security foothold before the ceasefire deadline took effect.
Facing them were elite troops from Thailand’s 31st Infantry Regiment, King's Guard, stationed in Lopburi province. Trained for rapid deployment, these forces held their ground and successfully repelled the incursion, securing control of the Ta Kwai area.
For those unfamiliar, this is not BHQ's first foray into border combat. In early 2011, the same unit was deployed to Preah Vihear province alongside Cambodia’s 70th Infantry Brigade. However, their advance was stalled by the overwhelming power of Thailand’s 155mm artillery.
The latest confrontation followed earlier clashes on May 28, 2025, at Chong Bok, where Thai and Cambodian troops exchanged fire. In the aftermath, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet ordered the mobilisation of over 10,000 troops to Preah Vihear and Oddar Meanchey provinces.
Gen Hing Bun Hieng, commander of the BHQ, dispatched a portion of his forces to Preah Vihear, while the majority of BHQ troops remained in Ta Khmau, Kandal province, to protect Hun Sen and his extended family at their newly built private compound.
While stationed in Preah Vihear, BHQ soldiers were seen regularly receiving visits from ministers, politicians, and business elites—who arrived bearing cash and supplies for frontline troops. Images of the BHQ’s sharply dressed personnel, resembling elite commandos on parade, became a daily fixture in Cambodian media.
Lessons from 2011
In early February 2011, Thai and Cambodian troops clashed violently around the disputed area near Preah Vihear Temple. Among those on the Cambodian front lines was Hun Manet, then a rising star in the Cambodian military and the son of Prime Minister Hun Sen.
At the time, Hun Manet held the rank of major general and served as Deputy Commander of the Royal Cambodian Army and commander of the elite 70th Infantry Brigade. According to media reports, he sustained a minor injury when shrapnel from a 155mm Thai artillery round struck his knee. Nevertheless, he remained at the frontline, overseeing operations alongside Gen Chea Mon, commander of Cambodia’s Fifth Military Region, and Maj Gen Srey Duk, commander of the Third Support Brigade.
The BHQ, under Gen Hing Bun Hieng, was first deployed to the Preah Vihear area in 2009 during initial skirmishes at Phu Makua, a strategic hill near the contested border. Their deployment marked the unit’s first major appearance in a real combat zone.
Fast forward to the present, the BHQ’s return to the battlefield in 2025 is not without precedent. However, back in 2011, Cambodia’s special operations units were not as well-equipped or modernised as they are today. Their combat capability, particularly in terms of heavy weaponry and technology, has advanced significantly in the years since.
To understand the significance of Cambodia’s defeat at Ta Kwai Temple, one must first revisit the origins of BHQ, one of the country’s most politically symbolic military units.
The BHQ was established alongside the 70th Infantry Brigade more than three decades ago under the direct command of Prime Minister Hun Sen. In its early days, the unit received military support and equipment from Vietnam and functioned as both a combat force and a personal security detail for the premier.
In 1997, the 70th Brigade played a decisive role in a military coup that crushed the political and military base of Prince Norodom Ranariddh, cementing Hun Sen’s total control over Cambodia. Since then, the BHQ and the 70th Brigade have functioned not just as elite military units, but as guardians of the Hun family’s grip on power.
Following the 9/11 attacks in 2001, Hun Manet—then commander of the 70th Brigade—sought US military assistance to help counter terrorism. In response, Washington funded the modernisation of the brigade, repositioning it as Cambodia’s premier counter-terrorism force.
The headquarters of both the BHQ and the 70th Brigade are located in Ta Khmao district, Kandal province—within the same heavily guarded compound that houses Hun Sen’s residence. The area is also home to the Special Military Zone Command, which holds jurisdiction over Phnom Penh, Kandal, and Kampong Chhnang provinces.
During the recent five-day conflict along the Thai-Cambodian border, Hun Sen reportedly directed military operations from the BHQ war room, coordinating closely with Gen Hing Bun Hieng at the front line.
Upon receiving news of the ceasefire agreement brokered by Malaysia, Hun Sen ordered BHQ special forces to seize control of Ta Kwai Temple before the truce took effect.
However, the assault was repelled by Thailand’s elite units, marking a high-profile defeat for Cambodia’s most politically charged military force.
