Thai PM plays down renewed border clash risk but experts urge Cambodia to stay cautious
IMAGE: Prime Minister Hun Manet (L) and Thailand’s Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul laugh while switching name plates after signing the Kuala Lumpur Peace Accord, on October 26, 2025, at the ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur. White House
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Synopsis: Thailand’s caretaker leader takes a pacifist tone in his latest message following a visit to the border, saying neither side poses a threat to the other as long as they both respect the peace declaration. It is a new attitude that sparks both relief and suspicion among analysts as the Thai general election nears.
The Thai Prime Minister’s reassurance that there will be no more military clashes between Cambodia and Thailand is a positive signal, but Cambodia must remain cautious as the message may serve a political purpose while full mutual trust has yet to be restored, experts said.
Thailand’s caretaker Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul was reported to have said on Tuesday that there were no indications that there would be a third round of fighting along the shared border.
He urged the public to remain calm while security agencies continue to monitor the situation closely.
Speaking at Government House, Anutin said the military on both sides have been in communication to prevent misunderstandings following reports that Cambodia had dug new trenches near the frontier opposite Thailand’s Trat province.
He said the two countries had reaffirmed their commitment to the December 27 ceasefire agreement. Anutin and his team had visited border areas in Sa Kaeo province on Monday to review security conditions.
On Cambodia’s demining operations near the border, Anutin said mine clearance is a humanitarian obligation of Cambodia that has no bearing on Thailand. He added that Thailand was ready to cooperate in the efforts, noting that under international principles, either side could clear mines in their own territory.
“Thailand will maintain its own defences while respecting the sovereignty of the other and protecting our own,” he said.
On the possibility of renewed clashes between the two armies, Anutin said security briefings during his border visit concluded there were no signs of escalation. While Thai forces remained vigilant, there were no indicators pointing to violence or confrontation, he said, assuring border residents that it was safe to continue their daily lives.
Anutin said he had not seen reports of allegedly leaked Cambodian procurement documents related to expanded airstrike capabilities and dismissed speculation that the neighbour was attempting to destabilise Thailand’s political situation.
He added that as long as both countries respected the ceasefire agreement and the October Kuala Lumpur Joint Declaration, neither side posed a threat to the other.
General Boonsin Phadklang, former commander of Thailand’s Second Army Region, had said on Monday that the current focus was on maintaining calm and allowing negotiations to move forward.
Speaking at the Armed Forces Academies Preparatory School in Ban Na district, Boonsin, who is now adviser to the Thai army, said forces on both sides were under orders to observe a ceasefire and avoid escalation.
“At the moment, it is a ceasefire and troop containment. We are waiting for those in authority from both governments to discuss how to move peace forward,” he said.
International Relations Institute Director-General Kin Phea said that Anutin has sent a positive signal with his message. However, he warned that it cannot be fully trusted because it could be merely political rhetoric to win popularity among the Thais.
“We hope that what he said is true, but whether there will be another clash does not rely on Cambodia,” he said. “It was not Cambodia but Thailand who fired the first shot in the past conflict.”
Cambodia, he added, consistently supports peaceful ways of resolving disputes and prefers to handle conflicts through international diplomacy and by following international laws, rather than through confrontation or the use of force.
“Cambodia, as we all know, always embraces the peaceful mechanism, including international diplomacy and adherence to international laws,” Phea added.
He noted that landmine incidents involving Thai soldiers, which had triggered the border clashes in July and December, no longer occur.
“Somehow, during peace time, landmine explosions are no longer reported, and we hope it will remain so because Thai soldiers always use these incidents as the excuse to attack Cambodia,” Phea said.
Thong Mengdavid, a lecturer at the Institute for International Studies and Public Policy, believes that Anutin’s pacifist statement coincided with the timing of the Thai general election.
“He is trying to get on the good side of the Thai people,” he said. “Despite the conflict, the majority of the Thai population do not support an armed conflict with Cambodia, given its socio-economic impacts on the nation.”
It is also possible that the Thai military no longer wants to engage in warfare because their objective has already been fulfilled, Mengdavid added.
“They had wanted to conquer part of Cambodia’s territory at the border, which they are doing right now illegally,” he said. “Mr Anutin may have also made his statement because he does not want the world to see Thailand as an aggressor and invader.”
“At the end of the day, it is the Thai army, not the Thai premier, who decides whether there will be another war,” he added.
Mengdavid recommended that Cambodia remain cautious, standing by its military defence while continuing to pursue diplomatic resolution and compensation.
“Bilateral mechanisms, such as JBC, must be carried on as the two countries are working on restoring their relations, but the international ones, particularly filing a case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), must also be implemented to ensure justice and compensation for Cambodia.”
-Khmer Times-
