Thai-Cambodian border tensions escalate amid political crosswinds and national security alerts
While the military leaders believe that the tensions are being driven by motives other than actual combat, they remain cautious.
The Thai-Cambodian border issue has remained a constant topic of discussion among the top military brass, including General Songwit Noonpakdee (Chief of Defense Forces), General Phana Klaewplodthuk (Army Chief), Admiral Jirapol Wongwit (Navy Chief), and Air Chief Marshal Punpakdee Pattanakul (Air Force Chief).
While the military leaders believe that the tensions are being driven by motives other than actual combat, they remain cautious. Both sides have deployed fully armed troops along the border, and the situation remains volatile — a single gunshot could ignite open conflict.
It is widely acknowledged that the border situation is deteriorating, with continued military build-ups and deployment of weapons and equipment. The timing is also raising concerns, coinciding with politically significant domestic and regional events scheduled on June 12, 13, and 14:
June 12: The Medical Council of Thailand will decide whether to uphold its original decision to penalize three doctors involved in the hospitalization of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra or to support Health Minister Somsak Thepsuthin’s request to overturn the ruling.
June 13: The Supreme Court's Criminal Division for Holders of Political Positions will hold a hearing on the Thaksin hospital case.
June 14: A delayed Joint Boundary Commission (JBC) meeting between Thailand and Cambodia is scheduled — previously set for June 9.
In a fresh blow to diplomacy, Cambodia has issued another statement rejecting negotiations on the disputed land crossing point — a key agenda item in the JBC talks.
Meanwhile, an internal security directive has been sent from Thailand's Ministry of Interior to provincial governors along the Cambodian border — in Trat, Chanthaburi, Sa Kaeo, Buri Ram, Surin, Si Sa Ket, and Ubon Ratchathani — signaling possible evacuation plans. The directive instructs district chiefs, village heads, and civil defense teams to prepare evacuation strategies, designate gathering points and shelters in safe zones, and ready personnel to respond in case of escalation.
Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Phumtham Wechayachai has also called an urgent National Security Council meeting on June 6 to prepare countermeasures.
On June 4, Phumtham visited Suranaree Task Force in Ubon Ratchathani, receiving briefings before traveling by road to Observation Base 500 (Emerald Triangle). At this key hotspot, Major General Sompop Pharawet, commander of the Suranaree Task Force, showed evidence of Cambodian military encroachment roughly 200 metres into Thai territory from Chong Bok Ton Satabann to Lao Intersection.
Notably, Major General Sompop led the operation that expelled Cambodian troops from this very area in 2011 — an operation that left several Thai soldiers wounded or dead. Now, veterans of that mission are reportedly distraught to see Cambodian forces reoccupy the land.
The rising tension on the land border has even spilled over to Ko Kut Island in Trat Province, as former Cambodian opposition leader Sam Rainsy proposed that Cambodia take the dispute to the International Court of Justice — not only for land border areas but also including Ko Kut.
This area falls under the responsibility of the Royal Thai Navy’s Ko Kut Operations Unit, which also oversees contested maritime zones that include oil and gas resources claimed by both nations.
The Navy has been monitoring activity at Cambodia’s Ream Naval Base, where a live-fire naval drill is scheduled between June 11–13 around Poulo Wai and Tung Islands near Preah Sihanouk. This is the first such exercise in over two years.
Analysts see the drill as a show of force and maritime readiness, aimed at boosting Cambodian nationalist sentiment and demonstrating the Navy’s growing capabilities.
Admiral Natthaphon Diewwanich, Commander of the Royal Thai Fleet, stated, “We are preparing to designate Ko Kut — a disputed area — as a special task force zone to support peace negotiations. At the same time, we are collecting intelligence from the Cambodian naval exercises involving live ammunition.”
Though the situation around Ko Kut remains calm for now, whether land-based tensions will extend to the maritime front remains uncertain. The Royal Thai Navy is reviewing its crisis response protocols and has ordered all fleets to be on standby for possible activation under a joint operations center.
If Cambodia attempts to seize maritime areas the same way it has on land, such action is unlikely to succeed — as Cambodia’s naval power remains significantly inferior to Thailand’s.
In sum, two major disputes — land at the Chong Bok checkpoint and maritime rights near Ko Kut — are unfolding in parallel with four politically significant events in Thailand linked by the dates 11, 12, 13, and 14, forming an eerily interconnected timeline.
