Is a double standard behind Thai dealings with Cambodia vs, Myanmar?

[Flames and thick smoke rise after a Myanmar military bombardment on an opposition base in Myawaddy township, seen from the Thai side of the border in Mae Sot on Dec. 1. Khaosod English]

[Opinion] Dear Editor,

As a frequent traveller to the South East Asia, I have pondered over what seems to be a double standard regarding the way the Thai military deals with tense border issues on the Cambodian frontier versus how they deal with tense issues when they frequently arise along the Myanmar (Burma) frontier.

Could it be that the Thai military leaders – while seeing a much weaker Cambodian military as an easy opportunity for them to pose and act like tough heroes defending the nation – actually fears the Myanmar military and has done so since the early Thai kingdom of Ayuthaya was sacked by the Burmese in 1767 after a 14-month long siege?

And that the Thai military seemingly has, while still posing, all but buckled at the knees over the recent decades whenever Myanmar border tensions and violations have occurred, when Myanmar military generals, confronted by Thai protestations, have time and again mocked and all but egged on the Thai military to try to do something about it, calling the Thai government Ayodhya, a derogatory reference to their name of that ancient Thai kingdom that their ancestors destroyed?

The Thai military knows well that while they have an edge in manpower and equipment, Myanmar’s military is equipped well enough with fighter jets (which they still use daily while committing war crimes against ethnic armies and pro-democracy groups that have joined forces following the latest military led coup in 2021), attack helicopters, a navy that not only boasts destroyers and other warships but also sports a couple of submarines (Thailand has zero).

Besides having plenty of tanks and armoured vehicles, Myanmar actually has a huge advantage in the number of available heavy-duty, “grind-of-war”, front-line weapons; self-propelled artillery and mobile rocket projectors.

And unlike the Thai military, the Myanmar military has, through their assaults against their own people, gained battle-hardened experience using weapons of war. While some inside and outside of Thailand might say that Thai military brass seem like self-congratulating posers in their highly polished shoes and well-ironed uniforms when viewing incursions by air and by land along their western frontier, it is probably up to Thai people to ponder this themselves.

While for Cambodian leaders – let the despicable actions of the Thai military in 2025 be a lesson learned.

It appears that the only effective deterrence to future Thai military border aggression is to follow how the Myanmar military has always handled their shared border with Thailand; with a much better funded, equipped and trained Cambodian military. With all the billions of dollars thrown into Cambodia by international sponsors since the latter 1990s, the money to do this is surely in Cambodia already.

Best Regards,
Jack Matson
Los Angeles, California

The views and opinions expressed are the author’s own.

-The Phnom Penh Post-