Mass Destruction and Civilian Suffering: Thailand’s Military Invasion of Cambodia Is a Blatant Crime Under International Law
OPINION:
Thailand’s ongoing military invasion of Cambodian territory is no longer a border incident, a misunderstanding, or a “security operation.” It is a sustained campaign of destruction that has devastated civilian life, shattered essential infrastructure, and displaced hundreds of thousands of innocent people. The scale of harm inflicted on Cambodian civilians exposes a serious and undeniable violation of international law.
As of 21 December, Cambodian authorities report that approximately 520,000 civilians have been forcibly displaced by Thailand’s military actions. Among them are around 270,000 women and 160,000 children—families driven from their homes, stripped of shelter, food security, education, and basic healthcare. This is not an accidental consequence of war; it is the predictable result of military operations conducted without regard for civilian protection.
Entire communities in border provinces have seen their homes destroyed or rendered uninhabitable. Schools and public facilities—structures that serve no military purpose—have been damaged or abandoned. Roads and civilian infrastructure essential for humanitarian access have been affected, worsening the suffering of displaced populations. The destruction of civilian infrastructure on this scale amounts to collective punishment, which is strictly prohibited under international humanitarian law.
The legal violations are clear. Article 2(4) of the United Nations Charter prohibits the use of force against the territorial integrity of another state. Thailand’s military operations inside Cambodian territory constitute an act of aggression under international law. No credible legal justification has been presented to excuse the breach of Cambodia’s sovereignty.
Equally grave are the violations of the Geneva Conventions, to which Thailand is a party. The principles of distinction, proportionality, and precaution are not optional guidelines—they are binding legal obligations. When military operations result in mass civilian displacement, widespread destruction of homes, and damage to civilian infrastructure, those principles have been violated. Civilians are not shields, and their homes are not military targets.
The forced displacement of more than half a million people is itself a humanitarian catastrophe. Children have been pulled out of schools. Women face heightened risks in overcrowded evacuation sites. Elderly persons and people with disabilities struggle to access medical care. These are foreseeable consequences of military actions that ignore the civilian cost—and under international law, foreseeability carries responsibility.
Thailand cannot claim adherence to international norms while its military actions produce such devastating civilian consequences. Compliance with international law is measured not by statements, but by outcomes. The outcome here is unmistakable: mass displacement, destroyed civilian property, and a population living in fear within its own sovereign territory.
Cambodia is not asking for special treatment. It is demanding the most basic standard of international conduct: respect for sovereignty, protection of civilians, and accountability for violations of international law. If these principles are ignored, the message to smaller states everywhere is clear—that power, not law, governs international relations.
The international community must not look away. Silence in the face of such large-scale civilian suffering risks legitimizing aggression and eroding the legal framework designed to prevent exactly this kind of tragedy. What is happening to Cambodian civilians today is not only Cambodia’s crisis—it is a test of whether international law still matters.
By Roth Santepheap, a geopolitical analyst based in Phnom Penh.
(The views expressed are his own.)
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