Thai Military Launches Coordinated Strikes Targeting Cambodia's Financial and Drone Warfare Capabilities

 

Three-force operation targets casino-linked command centres and illicit funding lifelines after finding evidence of foreign operators guiding Kamikaze drone attacks.

 

The Royal Thai Armed Forces (RTAF) have escalated their response to ongoing border clashes with Cambodia, initiating a major, coordinated military operation designed to dismantle the enemy’s combat capabilities and cripple the financial structures supporting the conflict.

 

The operation, dubbed a "parallel attack" by sources, is aimed at what the Thai military describes as "crushing Hun Sen's rice bowl"—referring to the financial network linked to the family of Cambodian Senate President Hun Sen.

 

 

 

Escalation of Warfare

The RTAF confirmed the shift to a proactive strategy following intelligence from the Second Army Region (2nd Army) indicating a severe escalation in Cambodian tactics.

 

The intelligence revealed that foreign nationals are being hired to pilot FPV (First-Person View) Kamikaze drones against Thai positions, with Cambodian troops acting as spotters in areas like Chong An Ma.

 

The drones, equipped with 82mm mortar rounds, are reportedly controlled via fibre-optic cables, allowing for slow but sustained flight to bypass defences and target military posts.

 

Air Marshal Jackkrit Thammavichai, RTAF Spokesman, confirmed that all three services—Army, Navy, and Air Force—are working in concert to "attack target areas and the drone command centre, reducing the opponent's capacity."

 

Fighter jets, including F-16s and Gripens, have already been deployed to strike multiple Cambodian casinos and associated facilities identified as strategic military targets.
 

 

 

Casinos as Command Hubs

The core of the Thai strategy involves targeting the vast network of over 160 casinos and commercial complexes along the border, which the RTAF claims have been converted into command centres, arms depots, and hubs for transnational crime.

 

These structures are implicated in cross-border crime, scamming, and human trafficking, and are now serving a dual purpose as fully equipped command centres for drone operations.

 

Specific targets hit include casino areas at Chong An Ma, Chong Chom, and O'Smach, where one site linked to businessman Ly Yong Phat had previously been flagged by Thailand for asset seizures over scamming ties.

 

Furthermore, intelligence suggests that vast construction projects behind some casinos are nearing completion to serve as new office and accommodation bases for relocating call centres and scammers from areas like Poipet and Shwe Kokko in Myanmar, illustrating the deep integration of illicit finance with military operations.
 

 

 

Heavy Weaponry and Mine Concerns

The RTAF’s defensive concerns are rooted in Cambodia’s significant acquisition of modern, heavy weaponry, including SH-1 self-propelled howitzers and various Multiple Rocket Launch Systems (MRLs) such as the BM-21.

 

Radar currently tracks 52 BM-21 vehicles, which Cambodian forces are reportedly using in highly mobile, evasive "shoot-and-scoot" tactics, retreating into civilian areas after firing to avoid Thai counter-battery fire.

 

The military also voiced concern over the extensive use of landmines, which have already resulted in seven Thai soldiers losing their legs.

 

This is exacerbated by intelligence showing that Cambodia has retained over 10,000 mines in the country, despite ostensibly being for training purposes, following landmine disposal courses in former Soviet bloc nations.

 

While the Joint Press Centre has not set a timeline for the end of the operation due to external complications, the RTAF maintains that the action is meticulously planned to have a lasting impact.
 

"This will render Cambodia's military capabilities obsolete for a long time, ensuring the safety of our children and grandchildren," the military stated.