When a slingshot is said to threaten an F-16 fighter jet

[O Beichoan Primary School in Banteay Meanchey province was heavily damaged by Thai shelling on December 15. Supplied]

[Opinion] This is the question the world should ask when Thai leaders claim that Cambodia poses a serious threat to Thailand’s security. Cambodia has no fighter jets, no advanced air force and no modern weapons capable of invading or endangering one of Southeast Asia’s richest and most powerful militaries. Claiming otherwise is like saying a rabbit is attacking a lion, and somehow the whole world believes it.

Cambodia is smaller in size, population and military strength. Thailand, by contrast, operates F-16 fighter jets, modern artillery and a defence budget many times larger. To suggest that Cambodia could threaten or invade Thailand defies basic logic.

Yet it is Cambodian civilians who are suffering. Thai military attacks have reportedly moved far beyond border areas and deep into Cambodian territory. Homes, schools, temples, bridges and other civilian structures have been destroyed. Many civilians have been killed or injured, and hundreds of thousands have been displaced.

This is not a border conflict. It is the use of overwhelming force against a far weaker country.

International law does not allow claims of self-defence to justify attacks on civilians or the destruction of civilian infrastructure. When fighter jets strike areas where there are no fighter jets in return, the truth is clear.

And yet the world remains largely silent. Why are Cambodian civilians attacked by Thai military forces without global outrage or condemnation? Why do inhumane F-16 airstrikes against civilian areas not trigger urgent international action? When innocent lives are lost and families are forced from their homes, silence becomes a choice, and it is a choice that favours power over justice.

Where is the international outcry? Where are the calls for accountability? If such attacks were carried out by a weaker or less connected nation, the response would likely be swift and loud. This raises a painful question. Is justice reserved only for the strong and the wealthy, while the weak and the poor are left to suffer unseen?

The international community must speak out and condemn the ongoing attacks on Cambodian civilians. Silence only encourages further violence.

The United States also has a responsibility to act. American-made F-16 fighter jets should not be used to harm civilians. If the US stands for human rights and the rule of law, it must ensure that its weapons are not used in ways that violate international law.

A slingshot does not threaten an F-16 fighter jet.

But an F-16 can devastate an innocent nation like Cambodia.

The world must not look away.

Neang Sopheap is a Phnom Penh-based analyst. The views and opinions expressed are his own.

-The Phnom Penh Post-