Rivalry between two dynasties, 33 years of friendship, what is the real reason behind the Thailand and Cambodia war?
On the first of this month, Thailand's Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra telephoned Cambodia's former Prime Minister Hun Sen. During this, Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra addressed the Cambodian leader as 'Uncle'. After this, there was an uproar in Thailand and the country's constitutional court removed her from the post of Prime Minister.
After this incident, former Prime Minister of Thailand Thaksin Shinawatra gave a shocking message in a room full of politicians and journalists. He said that 'his decades-old relationship with Cambodian dictator Hun Sen has ended.' Thaksin Shinawatra is the father of Paetongtarn Shinawatra, who was removed from the post of Prime Minister. What did Thailand's former PM say about former Cambodian PM?
He announced that 'I was very close to him, like brothers. But after what he did to my daughter, I was shocked. How could this happen?' That is, this fight is not just about the border, but is about the rivalry between Thailand's billionaire leader and former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and Cambodian Former Prime Minister Hun Sen. Thaksin Shinawatra's daughter had to resign from the post of Prime Minister of Thailand.
There was a time when the friendship of Thailand's Thaksin and Cambodia's Hun Sen was quite famous. It was believed that despite the dispute between the two countries, due to their friendship, there would be no war and regional peace and stability would be maintained. But Thaksin's daughter's phone call changed everything. Actually, Hun Sen posted the audio recording of that telephone call on Facebook, in which Paetongtarn was addressing him as 'Uncle' and from her style of talking it seemed that she wanted to resolve the dispute by making the conversation emotional. Hun Sen posts audio recording of telephone call on Facebook
During this, she also ignored the Thailand Army. But as soon as the audio came on Facebook, there was an uproar. Prime Minister Paetongtarn had to resign and her father publicly announced breaking ties with the Cambodian leader. Thaksin and Hun Sen have been great leaders of their respective countries and their children also reached power in the country within a gap of one year.
But everything changed after the audio was leaked. Both the leaders publicly spewed venom against each other. Thaksin said that he wanted to give the Thai army a chance to teach Hun Sen a lesson. On which Hun Sen described his statement as 'inciting the fire of war'.
Experts who keep an eye on the politics of Thailand and Cambodia say that Hun Sen wants to strengthen the nationalist image of his son and current Prime Minister Hun Manet by taking advantage of the instability going on in Thailand's politics. At the same time, a treason case is going on against Thaksin, which has weakened his political hold. His return to the country in 2023 and compromise with the military-royal alliance has also become a reason for resentment among his traditional supporters. Is Thailand-Cambodia war a result of the rivalry of their respective dynasties?
Thailand's former Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya said in a New York Times report that 'the aspirations and dreams of wealth of both the families have not been realized.' He said that Hun Sen probably considered this as Thaksin's failure. Hun Sen had full control over his country and could deliver on his promise. But Thaksin has been losing his influence and control over Thai society for the past 20 years.'
In addition, Thaksin recently threatened to crack down on casinos and online scam hubs in areas bordering Cambodia and himself talked about plans for an entertainment complex that could challenge the Cambodian casino industry. This move poses a direct economic and strategic threat to Hun Sen, further deepening tensions.
Another bone of contention is the 11th century Preah Vihear temple and the land around it, which was handed over to Cambodia by the International Court of Justice in 1962. But Thailand still claims the surrounding areas. The two countries have clashed over this dispute in 2008 and 2011. Now, as personal bitterness, political instability and historical disputes become entangled, another serious crisis has arisen for Southeast Asia.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Mint
an hour ago
- Mint
Thai Soldiers Injured in Landmine Blast at Cambodia Border
(Bloomberg) -- Thailand's army said three soldiers were injured in a landmine blast near its disputed border with Cambodia, threatening a fragile ceasefire agreement between the two neighbors. One soldier suffered a severe leg injury when he stepped on a landmine while patrolling the border in Si Sa Ket province on Saturday morning, the Royal Thai Army said in a statement. Two other soldiers sustained minor injuries, it said. The landmine blast pointed to covert use of weapons by the Cambodian troops, Thai army spokesman Winthai Suvaree said in a statement, adding the incident poses a serious obstacle to the ceasefire and peaceful resolution of the border conflict. The Thai government said it will be lodging a protest against Cambodia for breach of the Ottawa Convention banning use of anti-personnel mines. Thai and Cambodian forces fought for five days in late July, using fighter jets, missiles, and heavy artillery, before Malaysia brokered a ceasefire backed by the US and China. The clashes killed over 40 people, injured many others, and displaced hundreds of thousands from border areas in both countries. Read: 'Godbrothers' Fallout Hangs Over Fragile Thai-Cambodia Truce This was preceded by months of simmering border tensions, during which at least two Thai soldiers were maimed by landmines. Last week, senior security officials from Cambodia and Thailand agreed on measures to enforce the truce and ease tensions. They also accepted neutral monitoring of the ceasefire by defense attaché teams from Association of Southeast Asian Nations member states. Thai-Cambodia tensions trace back to the colonial-era treaties that defined their boundaries and the resulting maps that laid them out differently. The sovereignty of several areas along their roughly 800-kilometer (500-mile) disputed border remains points of contention, and various efforts to demarcate the boundary have yet to yield results. Relations had been stable since the 2011 clashes that left dozens dead, before last month's fresh round of fighting. More stories like this are available on
NDTV
a day ago
- NDTV
US Helped Broker Ceasefire Between Cambodia, Thailand: Marco Rubio
Washington: The United States has helped broker a ceasefire arrangement between Cambodia and Thailand, US Secretary Marco Rubio announced on Thursday. In a post on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), Secretary Rubio thanked Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim for hosting the peace process. He wrote, "Thanks to @POTUS's leadership, the United States has helped broker a ceasefire arrangement between Cambodia and Thailand. We are grateful to Malaysian PM @anwaribrahim for his leadership and for hosting the ceasefire process. We look forward to supporting Malaysia, ASEAN, and both countries as this process moves forward." Thanks to @POTUS 's leadership, the United States has helped broker a ceasefire arrangement between Cambodia and Thailand. We are grateful to Malaysian PM @anwaribrahim for his leadership and for hosting the ceasefire process. We look forward to supporting Malaysia, ASEAN, and… — Secretary Marco Rubio (@SecRubio) August 7, 2025 Ceasefire talks took place in Kuala Lumpur, where Thai and Cambodian officials gathered for a four-day General Border Committee meeting that began on Monday and concluded on Thursday. Thai Deputy Defence Minister Natthaphon Nakpanit and Cambodian Defence Minister Tea Seiha attended the final session. Observers from Malaysia, China, and the United States were also present at the talks. US Ambassador to Malaysia, Edgard D Kagan, also shared a message on X, expressing strong US support for the peace deal. "@POTUS and @SecRubio have been crystal clear: we want this ceasefire to hold. We want a durable peace between Thailand and Cambodia. Today's General Border Committee in Kuala Lumpur was another step in the right direction," he posted. . @POTUS and @SecRubio have been crystal clear: we want this ceasefire to hold. We want a durable peace between Thailand and Cambodia. Today's General Border Committee in Kuala Lumpur was another step in the right direction. — Ambassador Edgard D. Kagan (@USAmbKL) August 7, 2025 United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also welcomed the ceasefire agreement between the two nations, describing it as a positive step towards ending ongoing hostilities and easing tensions. Malaysia had earlier mediated a truce on July 28, following five days of intense border clashes that began on July 24. According to Al Jazeera, the violence started after Cambodian troops allegedly fired artillery and rockets into civilian areas in Thailand, prompting Thai airstrikes in response. While the ceasefire has held so far, both countries have accused each other of violating the terms.
Hindustan Times
a day ago
- Hindustan Times
Cambodia, Thailand agree to ceasefire, neutral monitors after clashes
Cambodia and Thailand agreed to maintain a ceasefire and allow neutral monitors, as the US cited a 'high level of distrust' between the Southeast Asian neighbors after their deadliest border clashes in decades. The ceasefire deal, backed by Asean and foreign observers, aims to rebuild trust between Cambodia and Thailand after their deadliest border clashes in years.(via REUTERS) A meeting of senior security officials from the two nations held in Kuala Lumpur approved a set of measures to strictly enforce the truce and ease border tensions, including ceasefire monitoring by an interim team of Asean defense attaches stationed in Bangkok and Phnom Penh. The teams would be led by Malaysian attaches. The so-called General Border Committee meeting also agreed not to move or reinforce troops and weapons along their roughly 800-kilometer (500-mile) disputed border, Cambodian and Thai officials said at separate briefings on Thursday. Representatives of Malaysia, China and the US attended the border talks as observers. The latest measures to de-escalate tensions may help hundreds of thousands of civilians displaced by five days of clashes on either side of the border to return home. Even after the July 29 ceasefire, both countries have continued to station troops and weaponry along the frontier after the clashes left more than 40 dead and scores more injured. The border talks followed the ceasefire brokered by Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, in his capacity as chair of regional bloc Asean, that came amid pressure from US President Donald Trump, who used trade tariffs as leverage. While the borders have been largely quiet, the US envoy to Malaysia said there was 'high level of tension' and Washington was committed to helping the two countries avert further conflict. The Thai-Cambodia conflict traces its roots to long-standing tensions stemming from colonial-era maps and treaties that defined their shared border. Relations had remained relatively stable since 2011 clashes that left dozens dead, before erupting into intense fighting last month. Both the countries hailed the talks as successful with a joint statement saying 'the positive momentum generated by the meeting reflects the shared determination of both the sides to work together in fostering lasting peace, stability, cooperation, and development of their mutual benefit.' Thailand, which had previously accused Cambodia of breaching the ceasefire agreement, said Phnom Penh has shown sincerity in resolving the conflict. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Hun Manet asked Thailand to immediately release 18 Cambodian soldiers held in its custody. 'Thailand and Cambodia are neighbors that share a common border and cannot move away from each other,' Thai Deputy Defense Minister Nattaphon Narkphanit told reporters. 'If both countries can resolve this issue swiftly, peace will return to our shared border area and our people will be able to resume their normal lives.' The border committee is one of several bilateral mechanisms between Thailand and Cambodia to resolve disputes. The meeting hosted by Cambodia was moved to Kuala Lumpur on Bangkok's request. Cambodia and Thailand need to show strong commitment from the highest level down to the soldiers at the border to implement the ceasefire, US Ambassador to Malaysia Edgard Kagan said. Given the tension and distrust between the two countries, the US will support Asean's observer mechanism to ensure the ceasefire holds, Kagan told reporters in a group interview in Kuala Lumpur. 'It will be important for all parties to continue working to figure out what is the best way to get a durable and effective ceasefire,' Kagan said. 'There's enough distrust between the two sides, that there will need to be some form of outside monitoring, so that they can be confident that there will be some sort of independent assessment of what happens.' Thailand and Cambodia agreed to convene a meeting of their regional army commanders in two weeks for follow-up discussions, said Thailand's Nattaphon. The border committee will meet again in a month, and Thailand plans to propose joint cooperation in landmine clearance and cybercrime suppression, he added.
