The Media
Most English-language media in Thailand and Cambodia are currently in “war mode,” presenting only one-sided reports and propaganda. While I’m very concerned about Thai media, Cambodian media is even worse due to severely limited press freedom. It’s now in “Hun mode.”
Reporters Without Borders, based in Paris, ranks Cambodia 161st out of 180 countries, while Thailand is ranked 85th.
“The main broadcasters and the few remaining newspapers generally toe the government line. Many subjects are impossible to cover, such as political opposition, corruption and deforestation. Despite the growing number of online media outlets, few provide balanced reporting. Only a few independent Cambodian media, broadcasting from abroad, provide quality news coverage. The closure of the online media outlet Voice of Democracy (VOD) in February 2023 by former Prime Minister Hun Sen dealt a near-fatal blow to the country’s independent,” RSF states in its annual report released from Paris this year.
Back to Thailand, for example, Khaosod English recently published a timeline of clashes between Thailand and Cambodia from both the Cambodian and Thai governments for comparison, which was like watching two different movies. The only similarity was that both governments claimed the other side fired first. This allowed Thai readers to be aware and exercise their good judgement. You won’t see this in Cambodia’s English-language media.
I urge the Thai media to maintain balance and not simply act as a mouthpiece for the Thai government or the Thai army. For instance, the recent claim by the Thai 2nd Army Region that 24 Cambodians died couldn’t be independently verified by our media. What’s certain is that the Cambodian government hasn’t reported any casualties on their side, which is a very worrying situation for the Cambodian people.
Likewise, when a Thai F-16 crashed, Khmer media sensationalised the news, even though the Cambodian government couldn’t provide any additional evidence beyond an unverified image. This means the Cambodian people are being fed only one-sided information and propaganda from the Cambodian state. This is highly concerning, and I hope Thai media doesn’t follow suit.
BTW, I am still waiting for an explanation or excuse from the Cambodian government, or the Cambodian media, to ask its government while the vast majority of the dozen Thais killed by Cambodian strikes were civilians.
The War Mongers
Those Thais who instigate war, including a former prominent monk, are truly disgusting. They revel in the Thai military’s heavy assault on Cambodia yesterday (July 24, 2025), while the relatives of a fallen Thai soldier and a dozen civilians are shedding tears. They are ecstatic for war and oblivious to the deaths of others, including their own compatriots, as they are calling for more strikes.
They should go tell the relatives of those who died that you very much enjoyed war and “some deaths and destruction” are inevitable.
Deaths and Destruction
The few Thai voices for peace are being marginalised, regarded as “unrealistic” and branded as a bunch of idealists and dreamers running around a lavender field, detached from reality. Worse still, some are accused of being Cambodian sympathisers.
I sympathise with any loss of life, in Thailand and Cambodia, and would like to remind all of you that one day, we, both Thailand and Cambodia, will have to come to the negotiations table to end these senseless military attacks against our neighbour.
We can do it sooner or later. We can try to end it before many more lives are lost on both sides, before more destruction, and before the mutual animosity poisons a new generation of Thais and Cambodians to loathe one another, and both nations enter into full-scale war.
With each passing day, or hour, the deaths and damages on both sides multiply. And for any loss of life, it’s irrevocably tragic for the loved ones who are left behind.
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