On July 24, simmering tensions over Thailand and Cambodia’s border dispute exploded into a battle at the border, the most intense one in over a decade. According to Thai authorities, a total of twelve civilians––including an eight-year-old and a fifteen-year-old––were killed amid the clash. Shortly after, Thailand closed its border with Cambodia, while Cambodia accused the Thai military of causing the conflict with “excessive force.” Both countries have asked their citizens to leave the border areas, with Thailand evacuating 40,000 civilians to safer locations. 

Thai and Cambodian authorities each portrayed the conflict differently in official accounts. Thailand’s National Security Council (NSC) claimed that the Cambodian military fired first, using rocket-propelled grenades and deploying heavy weapons that caused damage to homes and public facilities. Meanwhile, Cambodian authorities claimed that Thai soldiers initiated the conflict by altering a Khmer-Hindu temple near the border with barbed wire. When interviewed, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet claimed that his country wanted to resolve the dispute peacefully and had “no choice” but to “respond with armed force against armed aggression.” Though both authorities stressed the need to address the issue with care, the conflict spread to 12 other border sites and displaced more than 300,000 civilians. Both sides agreed to an “immediate and unconditional” ceasefire on July 28 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, arranged by both prime ministers.

The Thailand-Cambodia conflict did not emerge overnight; the origins of the Thai-Cambodian border dispute trace back over a century to the colonial cartography of French Indochina. When Cambodia gained independence from France in 1953, the France-Siam border treaties left several frontiers ambiguously undefined. Among the most debated sites is the area surrounding the Preah Vihear temple, a 1000-year-old ancient site that both nations claim as their own. The temple was constructed in the 12th century with laterite––a reddish, porous stone––and comprises a variety of archaeological sites nearby. Accessible from both sides, the temple has long stood as an important religious and cultural site for both Cambodians and the Thai. In 1962, however, the International Court of Justice ruled that the Preah Vihear temple falls under Cambodian sovereignty. In 2008, Cambodia successfully registered the temple as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, which intensified resentment among many and led to heated protests. In 2011, troops from both sides opened fire and displaced thousands near the holy site. Since then, the temple has remained under constant surveillance by both Thai and Cambodian troops.

While historical tensions precipitated the July 24 dispute, recently growing nationalist sentiment on both sides precipitated its escalation. This surge in nationalism particularly stemmed from two powerful politicians. First, on the day of the dispute, Thaksin Shinawatra, a former populist leader of Thailand and father of the woman who served as Thai prime minister until resigning in August due to perceived friendliness to Cambodia, encouraged the international community to mediate and argued “the Thai military [should] do their job.” Immediately following his statement, Hun Sen––the longest-serving head of government in Cambodia’s history, and father of the current Cambodian prime minister––responded on Facebook that Thaksin’s “warlike tone” underscored “Thailand’s military aggression toward Cambodia.” Thailand and Cambodia’s 2025 dispute underscores how the complexities of historical heritage and ambiguous borders continue to impact colonized countries. Unresolved disputes matter and can become a ‘latent danger’ and erupt sporadically. It remains to be seen whether regional policymakers will find a long-term solution to the border dispute that addresses the root causes rather than resorting to short-term conflict management.

Amy Khaing
Boston, US