Thai Army addresses border conflict with Cambodia, reaffirms commitment to sovereignty and international law

The Royal Thai Army (RTA) on Friday briefed diplomats, military attachés based in Thailand, and the media regarding the ongoing Thai-Cambodian border conflict. The army reaffirmed its commitment to defending Thailand’s sovereignty and adhering to international law, while emphasising its consistent efforts to resolve the situation through genuine and peaceful bilateral dialogue between Thailand and Cambodia. The statement also highlighted the army's ongoing dedication to upholding Thailand’s national interests while seeking a diplomatic solution to the tensions.

The RTA outlined several key incidents of Cambodian aggression as follows:

13 February 2025: Cambodian forces brought tourists to Ta Muen Thom Temple to sing songs, stoking nationalist sentiments.

28 February 2025: Cambodia set fire to the Tri Muk Pavilion, a symbol of Thai-Cambodian-Laos cooperation.

March-April 2025: Cambodian forces altered the landscape along the border to strengthen military positions, expand routes, and encroach into Thai territory by digging trenches.

April-May 2025: Cambodia moved additional troops and military equipment closer to the Thai-Cambodian border, which was later confirmed through satellite imagery analysed by Australian researchers.

28 May 2025: Cambodia initiated a skirmish between military units, prompting a defensive response from Thai forces along Chong Bok.

In July 2025, Cambodia escalated the situation by planting PMN-2 anti-personnel mines in multiple areas within Thai territory, injuring two Thai soldiers, who lost their legs from the explosions. The Royal Thai Army condemned this act as a grave violation of humanitarian principles and a breach of the Ottawa Convention, which both Thailand and Cambodia are signatories to. The international community has since assisted in demining operations to ensure safety in the affected areas.

At the same time, Cambodia has been accused of further provocations, including sending both uniformed and plainclothes soldiers disguised as civilians to the border regions, especially around Ta Kwai and Ta Muen Thom temples, to engage in disruptive activities. These actions, including organising Cambodian crowds and stirring up emotions among Thai citizens and soldiers, have led to clashes and increased the risk of conflict.

Additionally, the RTA clarified its border control measures and responded to Cambodia's attack on 24 July 2025 at Ta Muen Thom Temple, where small arms, guns, and mortar launchers were used, leading to an escalation into full-scale clashes.

Following this, Cambodia escalated the conflict by deploying combat forces and supporting weapons, including artillery and BM-21 multiple rocket launchers, which targeted Thai positions along the entire border. These attacks deliberately targeted civilian areas, with some strikes occurring nearly 10 to 30 kilometres away from the border, such as at Phanom Dong Rak Hospital in Surin Province, PTT petrol station in Kantharalak, Sisaket Province, and civilian homes in Surin, Buriram, Sisaket, and Ubon Ratchathani. The attacks resulted in 36 civilian injuries, 15 fatalities, including the death of an 8-year-old child, and forced more than 150,000 civilians to evacuate.

The RTA stated that it responded under the principle of the right to self-defence as defined in international law, particularly Article 51 of the United Nations Charter, which states:

“Nothing in this Charter shall impair the inherent right of individual or collective self-defence if an armed attack occurs against a Member of the United Nations.”

The RTA’s response was therefore lawful and conducted in accordance with the principles of necessity and proportionality, with the sole aim of deterring threats, reducing civilian casualties, and maintaining the stability of national sovereignty. The Thai Army stressed that its actions were not intended to invade or go beyond the scope of self-defence from Cambodian aggression.

The RTA insisted that it specifically targeted military objectives, while Cambodia engaged in indiscriminate targeting, which resulted in significant civilian casualties on the Thai side. Moreover, Cambodia’s deployment of supporting weapons in civilian areas acted as a human shield, with Thailand not retaliating against these positions. This action was considered a clear violation of international humanitarian law and human rights principles, marking an act so inhumane that it is unforgivable. No civilised country in the world would accept such inhumane conduct.

The RTA has provided an update on the current situation, stating that Cambodia continues its military operations despite the ceasefire agreement made in Malaysia on 28 July 2025. After midnight on that day, Cambodia violated the ceasefire agreement in the following areas:

• Chong Bok Area, Ubon Ratchathani Province
• Sam Tae Area, Sisaket Province
• Pha Mor E Daeng, Sisaket Province
• Phu Ma Khua/Khanmar Area, Sisaket Province
• Phlan Yao Area, Sisaket Province
• Ta Kwai Temple, Surin Province

Cambodia continued to violate the ceasefire until 05:10 AM on 30 July 2025. On 31 July 2025, it was reported that Cambodian troops had increased their presence along the border and deployed unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) to conduct reconnaissance in Thai territory.

In response to Cambodia’s disinformation campaign, which accused Thailand of invading and violating international law, the Thai Army reaffirmed that Thailand, as a member of the United Nations, fully respects the UN Charter, including the principle of non-use of force in settling international disputes (Article 2(4) of the UN Charter).

Thailand’s actions were taken in self-defence and were both necessary and proportional as outlined in Article 51 of the UN Charter, following Cambodia’s attacks on Thai military posts, administrative units, and civilian communities in multiple areas. Evidence shows that Cambodian forces have crossed into Thai territory several times and targeted Thai forces, particularly civilian areas, including attacking Phanom Dong Rak Hospital (located nearly 10 km from the border) and a PTT petrol station in Ban Phue (around 30 km from the border).

The allegation of chemical weapon use is a serious and baseless accusation. Thailand, as a signatory to the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), strictly adheres to its provisions. No unit of the Thai military has ever used chemical weapons in any tactical or strategic capacity. These claims are deemed to be war propaganda and an attempt to distort the facts. The "chemical bomb" images circulated by Cambodia were actually from a California wildfire operation in the United States in 2022, and the images can be found online.

As for the use of F-16 fighter jets and heavy weapons by Thailand, all weapons deployed were appropriate and proportional to counter Cambodia’s encroachment and target military objectives along the border. Thailand’s actions were not an offensive attack but were in response to Cambodia’s forces positioning and firing weapons from civilian areas, using the civilian community as "human shields", which is a grave violation of international humanitarian law.

The RTA also clarified that the recent claims made by Heng Ratana, the Director of CMAC (Cambodian Mine Action Centre), regarding Thailand using MK-84 bombs that allegedly landed on Cambodian homes, are blatantly misleading. The Thai military stated that Cambodia is using outdated images and creating false connections that are not supported by any factual evidence. Thailand has firmly denied these accusations.

The RTA stated: “The images Cambodia presented as evidence of MK-84 bombs were in fact old bombs from the Vietnam War era, and they do not align with scientific principles. Thailand condemned the accusations and urged Cambodia to cease spreading false claims intended to incite hatred. Instead, Thailand calls for cooperation between both countries and the international community to resolve the border situation peacefully through honest dialogue and collaboration.”

Additionally, the RTA pointed out that on 30 July 2025, Cambodia invited foreign military attachés stationed in Cambodia to inspect a combat area located 30 km from the border. However, Cambodia changed the plan and took the military attachés to the Chong An Ma area, a combat zone still at risk of danger.

In conclusion, the RTA reiterated that the Cambodian side initiated the attack first, using long-range weapons to target civilian areas, causing unacceptable damage to both lives and property. Despite the agreement to cease fire, Cambodia has continued to violate the ceasefire, which has led to further escalation.

Furthermore, Cambodia has been spreading misleading information systematically. Thailand urges the international community to follow the situation with understanding and join in pushing for bilateral negotiations to peacefully resolve the issues.