With tension rising vertically to the border and, the whole world is watching with concern and questioning both sides to gradually use more and more powerful weapons in this new. Until recently, the region of southeast Asia was not only on the “map of conflict”, but even the genocide of Rhingia in Myanmar had passed to the fine (at least in Greece).
Colonialism and “spark”
This conflict is another part of the chain of tension in relations between the two countries, which begins since the years of colonialism. The “temperature” at the border between Thailand and Cambodia is gradually rising since May, when a few days after the 46th Summit of the Union of Southeast Asia (ASEAN) at the end of May 2025, a bloody incident occurred.
On May 28, a Cambodian soldier was killed in the area of the Emerald Triangle, a geopolitical sensitive area where Thailand, Cambodia and Laos meet. This area is mountainous and is located near the Dangrek Mountains and the Basin of the Mekong River.
From the Trinity (the Emerald Triangle or otherwise Chong Boc or Mom Bay) and to the west there are scattered ancient Hindu temples along the Thai-Cambodian border, which are tourist attractions and in the past, they have become the object of the past.
Diplomatic disagreements and causes
Since then, despite the various interventions, there have been sporadic violent incidents with the use of military forces, as the two sides have, inter alia, to resolve this territorial conflict.
The Cambodian government, under Prime Minister Hun Manet, wants to go before the International Court of Justice (ICJ), while Thailand prefers to resolve the territorial dialogue. The 817 kilometers of borders between the two countries were originally demarcated by the French in 1907 during their colonial administration in Cambodia.
Previous conflicts have been made in 2011, 2013 and 2017, mainly in the area of the Temple of Prea Vihar. Although the International Court of Justice in 1962 has ruled that Cambodia is dominated by the temple, the ruling did not solve the doubts about the territories surrounding it.
In addition to colonial heritage, the conflict also feeds nationalist crowns and policies on either side of the border and of course the fact that these areas are rich in minerals. In addition, there are speculations from time to time … unused energy reserves in the wider border area, which is also extremely militarized.
Two months of continuous escalation
From May 28 to the present day, neighboring countries, as well as ASEAN have repeatedly appealed for tones, and offers have been made for mediation (even from China), but with no effect.
The outbreak of the tension that occurred today brought an incident closer to July 16, when a Thai soldier lost his leg due to a mine explosion near the border. Thailand accused Cambodia of putting new mines, while Cambodia claimed that the mines were there from previous conflicts.
The tension after that was dragged sharply and today the use of heavier weapons began to use both sides to exchange artillery shots and Thailand proceeding to air raids on the Cambodian territory.
Of the developments today, at least 12 people have lost their lives in Thailand, of which 11 are civilians and one is a soldier, while another 24 civilians have been injured.
The regional impact and the risks
With these data and mediation efforts not to attribute (at least so far), the concern about regional stability expressed by both neighboring governments and ASEAN whose Thailand and Cambodia are members, is not groundless.
This conflict comes at a time when Southeast Asia has become a field of confrontation for the influence between China on the one hand and the US on the other.
The trade war between Beijing and Washington and Trump duties have a significant impact on the Southeast Asia region, where a huge part of world industrial production has been concentrated in recent decades.
The Thai-Cambodia conflict is thus another bloc, beyond the critical decisions that government is called upon to make.
