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Opinion: Thai diplomacy becoming a joke amid contradictions on the home front

ដោយ៖ ម៉ម សុគន្ធ ​​ | ថ្ងៃអង្គារ ទី១ ខែកក្កដា ឆ្នាំ២០២៥ English ទស្សនៈ-នយោបាយ 1048
Opinion: Thai diplomacy becoming a joke amid contradictions on the home front Opinion: Thai diplomacy becoming a joke amid contradictions on the home front
A Google Earth map showing the territory in dispute between Thailand and Cambodia. Phnom Penh has referred the case to the International Court of Justice for adjudication. Google Map

Nobody knows whom to trust in Thailand’s media communication.

The weakest link would be the Thai Foreign Affairs personnel, as they have become the face of insincere communication that is contradictory to the facts on the ground.

In breaking news from Bangkok on June 24, it was reported that the Thai-Cambodian Border Command Centre (Sor Bor Tor Kor) had confirmed on Tuesday afternoon that all checkpoints remained open and electricity supply to Cambodia would not be cut off as they do not want to burden the people of Thailand and Cambodia with problems.

It sounded so nice. The people on both sides would have been celebrating.

But the fact is, no one is celebrating, neither Thais nor Cambodians.

According to Cambodian Immigration, the O’Smach and Choam border gates were open, but no one was allowed to cross the border except in cases of emergency.

This is a joke and a lie to the world.

The Thai Foreign Affairs representatives are required to lie on behalf of the ground actions of the Thai military. These spokespeople must be truly embarassed if they are sincere in their profession.

Thailand’s domestic complications have turned every one of its neighbours into enemies in almost every direction except China because Thailand cannot intimidate and bully China.

Thailand used to champion the rules-based multilateralism on the international stage.

It is painful to see how Thai elites and intellectuals have turned a blind eye to the blatant disregard for international norms shown by Thai politicians, extremist circles, and even the media.

Thailand is a member of the Human Rights Council, and it should have an obligation to explain to the world about Thailand’s current media space and ideological madness.

Here are some examples.

On June 30, a Thai official filed a complaint with the Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau in Nonthaburi, seeking legal action against Cambodian Senate President Hun Sen.

The Thai court has no jurisdiction whatsoever over a Cambodian public figure. This is not a domestic legal case but an accusation against a public figure of another state.

Thailand, as a member of the United Nations as well as the Group of 77, often aligns itself with joint declaration to reject the imposition of laws and regulations with extraterritorial impact and all other forms of coercive economic measures, including unilateral sanctions, on other countries.

On the international stage, Thailand speaks well, but with its weaker neighbours, it behaves like a spoiled child.

Another disturbing reality is Thailand’s silence on militarism in its media.

It is a shame that, as a responsible member of the United Nations, Thailand allows such expressions, including those that suggest the invasion of another country.

Some Thai local media with millions of followers have published the military invasion theory against Cambodia, and some Thai viewers have supported narratives that push to eliminate Cambodia from the world map.

And no Thai politician, court, law enforcer, ruling figure, influential figure or intellectual has stepped up to stop this madness.

No Thai leader has ever publicly condemned such hate speech or suggestions for Thailand to invade Cambodia’s Phnom Penh and Angkor Wat and take Preah Vihear temple by force.

You cannot live next to a neighbour who harbours the ambition to wipe you off the map.

This is a glorification of militarism and racism that should not be tolerated, both domestically and internationally, if Thailand is truly a champion of the rules-based international order.

But sadly, we don’t know who rules Thailand now.

At least, we are seeing a dangerous, silent approval of extremist ideology to eliminate Cambodia from the world map.

We are seeing a glorification of Siam’s ancient map to justify its territorial ambition.

It sounds as if Thailand is trying to return to the 18th and 19th centuries.

Some Thai people recall with great nostalgia that if it weren’t for France, Thailand would not have lost its land to Cambodia. They are talking as if Cambodians were imported by France into Thailand’s territory.

This is a great ignorance and a denial of history.

Cambodia is a sovereign civilisation of proud people. It did not come out of nowhere, and the Cambodian territory is not no-man’s land for Thailand to claim and reclaim at will, based on an imperialistic mentality of the past.

We are not living in an era where imperialism is praised.

It is highly disturbing that a country as civilised as Thailand would allow space for barbaric remarks that glorify invasion, annexation, and elimination of another country from the map.

Such insanity must face severe punishment on the international stage.

Suppose such propaganda continues to enjoy complete freedom in Thai media and education. In that case, Cambodia will never be able to live in peace with Thailand, neither in this generation nor the next.

The danger lies not only in the visible actions but also in the dangerous thoughts and ideologies passed down from one generation to the next.

The author is a Phnom Penh-based geopolitical and security analyst. The views and opinions expressed here are the author’s own.

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