Opinion: Cambodia’s Calm amid Thai Aggression Reflects Strategic Maturity

Opinion: Cambodia’s Calm amid Thai Aggression Reflects Strategic Maturity

Unarmed Cambodian soldiers removed Thai barbed wire barricades at An Ses, in Oddar Meanchey province on August 5. Supplied

As the world watches the escalating conflict along the Cambodia –Thailand border, the temptation is to reduce it to another flare-up in a long-running dispute. But such a view misses the deeper truth, while Thailand has chosen the path of military aggression and provocation, Cambodia has shown remarkable restraint, discipline and strategic maturity.

Let us be clear: this is not a balanced conflict. Thailand has used disproportionate force deploying fighter jets, artillery, toxic smoke and even banned cluster munitions. Civilian areas have been devastated. Cultural heritage sites like the sacred Preah Vihear Temple have been endangered. More than 300,000 Cambodian citizens have been displaced. Soldiers have died defending our homeland, and thousands of families now live in fear, their lives uprooted overnight.

Despite this, Cambodia has not responded with equal hostility. We have responded with caution, calculation and conscience.

Cambodia does not want war. We know the true cost of war, not just politically, but deeply, personally and historically. For decades, our people endured civil conflict, foreign intervention and genocide. Our land still bears the scars of landmines. Our people still carry the weight of lost generations. War is not a theory for us; it is lived trauma.

Yet while we seek peace, Thailand appears determined to provoke. Most recently, the Thai military moved to install razor wire fences inside Cambodian territory — an intentional, symbolic act of territorial aggression. These are not defensive measures, they are calculated provocations meant to escalate tension and test Cambodia’s restraint.

Still, Cambodia has not taken the bait. We have appealed to international institutions, upheld ceasefire agreements and pursued legal channels, including a formal complaint to the International Court of Justice.

Cambodia values peace. We understand its cost and its fragility. Prime Minister Hun Manet captured this sentiment when he said:

“If I am asked why we don’t abandon the topic of peace, I say I will keep talking about it until you all understand it, too. Endure hardship, but don’t let it [peace] disappear.”

Cambodia seeks to resolve disputes through international law, not military conflict. But let there be no misunderstanding — we are not afraid to defend what is rightfully ours.

Our response is grounded in law, not vengeance. In principle, not pride.

This is not weakness. This is strength.

By showing restraint, Cambodia is demonstrating responsible leadership in an increasingly unstable region. But restraint should not be mistaken for passivity. We will defend our sovereignty, but we will not start a war to prove it.

The international community must see this clearly. Thailand’s actions from border incursions and airstrikes to razor wire and disinformation are not isolated provocations. They threaten to destabilize the entire region. Peace cannot survive without accountability.

Cambodia’s strategy is rooted in peace, international law and regional stability. Our history compels us to choose diplomacy over destruction. We are not naïve, we are experienced. And from that experience, we understand what many forget, it is easy to start a war, but far harder to live with its consequences.

We’ve lived through those consequences. We will not go back.

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

The Phnom Penh Post.