Two weeks of needless Thai-Cambodian border war with no end in sight is depressing, particularly when very few Thais—especially public figures or semi-public figures—are willing to publicly call for an end to this tragic madness.
The war is so ‘popular’ among ultranationalist Thais to the point where one risks being accused of being pro-Cambodia, or even being Cambodian or a spy for Cambodia, for calling for an end to the war.
Earlier this week, I was interviewed by the Banglok-based foreign correspondent for Le Monde, Brice Pedroletti, for his latest piece on the war (published in Paris yesterday), and whether I have received more attacks and criticisms for my “lonely voice calling for rationality and peace” as Pedroletti described it.
Yes, there were more, but it is nothing compared to the dozens of soldiers and civilians killed or injured and the over half a million people displaced on both sides of the border.
In Thailand, some Thais in the evacuation camps are now receiving phone calls from loan sharks and/or banks asking for their monthly loan instalments. Many have been unable to work for two weeks now, and it is uncertain how long this will continue.
Meanwhile, Cambodian migrant workers in Thailand, numbering over four hundred thousand (and definitely considerably more as many were unregistered), face an uncertain future as the Thai government may not renew their work registrations. This comes at the end of March, when over 100,000 of them will need to renew their status, according to Thai-based Cambodian labour rights activist Saing Ry. At we type these words, Thai immigration police are hunting down those who stay illegally. Yesterday, Khaosod reports that one climbed up a roof in a bid to flee but found a dead end and begged not to be deported.
“I feel confused, anxious, scared, and unable to think clearly about which path to take,” Saing Ry told me in Thai, in which she is fluent.
In Thailand, even PM Anutin had to publicly deny that he is waging a border war against Cambodia in order to boost his political standing.
”Don’t look at the world pessimistically. I still do not have the courage to trade the lives of our soldiers or citizens for votes or personal gain,” Anutin said on Tuesday, 16 December 2025, reacting to criticisms that his Bhumjaithai Party is exploiting nationalist sentiment.
The PM may say whatever he likes and deny all he wants, but the doubt that this may be a “war for votes” is not going away easily—particularly when the general election is on 8 February 2026, less than two months away.
The tragedy of this war is that two weeks on, not a single political party is calling for a ceasefire. They probably fear being branded as unpatriotic political party or even a proxy party for Cambodia. More will die and more lives will be disrupted before enough Thais come to their senses.
A Paris-based exiled Thai dissident told me on the phone yesterday that he noted no more than 10,000 Thai social media users opposing this needless war so far. I told him only 100, or fewer, showed up at the latest anti-war demonstration at the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre on Friday evening. That is roughly one per cent of the 10,000 or so on social media.
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The post Two Weeks of Needless Thai-Cambodian War or War for Votes appeared first on Khaosod English.
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