Situation on the border between Thailand and Cambodia continues to escalate

On July 23, the Thai government expelled the Cambodian ambassador from the country and recalled its own ambassador from Cambodia. The recall of embassy staff often indicates that a conflict or “violent action” is about to intensify.

This followed numerous accusations that Cambodia had planted landmines in Thailand. From a neutral perspective, however, it does not seem clear whether the landmines were found in Thailand, in the disputed border area or on Cambodian land.

However, it seems unlikely that Cambodia would have been in a position to actually plant landmines on Thai territory, as Thailand has and continues to monitor its own borders very closely. It is much more likely, however, that these are older landmines dating from the time of the previous conflicts in Cambodia up to 1990. Cambodia also countered the accusation that Thailand had planted new landmines by stating that the injuries to Thai soldiers would have been much more drastic if new landmines had been used.

Around the same time, the Thai military announced that access to several temples in the disputed area would be closed to Cambodians. According to our information, however, these are precisely the areas that Cambodia wants to claim for itself via the International Court of Justice. The temples should therefore undoubtedly be located at least in the disputed area, where neither party should actually take such measures.

A few days earlier, a new feeder road was built in the border area, which should also be viewed very critically.

It should also be emphasized that Thailand is trying by all means to claim the media landscape surrounding the conflict for itself.

The recent earthquake in Myanmar should also be recalled here: Because while Myanmar was completely devastated and experienced a humanitarian crisis of unimaginable proportions, the whole world was talking about shaking skyscrapers in Bangkok. In reality, however, Thailand was only hit by minor tremors – by which we mean offshoots. This example clearly shows that the Thai media landscape is able to influence the world’s reporting in a one-sided way.

From our perspective, there is every indication that the Thai military could soon try to take the conflict to a new level unilaterally.

Visits to the border regions should therefore be avoided at all costs.