This ongoing undeclared war between Thailand and Cambodia involves information warfare, the spread of fake news, and disinformation to undermine the opponent’s morale and gain international legitimacy and sympathy.
Most recently, the Cambodian Government PR posted a warning that the Thai army’s claim of successfully capturing Ta Muen Thom temple complex (one of the four disputed areas) and surrounding it with barbed wire to prevent Cambodian entry is fake news. They urged Cambodian citizens not to believe or share this news.
I believe that if the Thai military wants to clearly prove their claim, they should take a Thai or foreign newspaper from today, stand at Ta Muen Thom, and read aloud any breaking news, especially the latest international news, from today. Then, they should record a video and share it.
I suggest this because, even though the image of Ta Muen Thom surrounded by barbed wire, which the Royal Thai Army released yesterday, looks realistic, I cannot verify it myself. While I may wanted to travel to the temple today, I cannot due to national security and safety restrictions.
I want to emphasize that we should not automatically trust the Thai military just because we are Thai citizens, born on Thai soil. Similarly, Cambodians who are still rational should not automatically trust the Cambodian government or Ms Maly just because they are Khmer.
Reputable foreign media (not Thai or Cambodian) will state when they report information from Thai or Cambodian authorities that they cannot independently verify the information themselves- if they cannot.
Finally, I want to say that we have more than enough war cheerleaders for both armies. People from both nations have lost enough. Take off the ultranationalist helmet and put on the critical thinking hat. Put on the hat of humanity that transcends narrow and petty nationalism. Then, seek diverse information from foreign media, both Western and Asian, including English-language Cambodian media, and compare it with news published by Thai media. This is because many Thai media outlets have become cheerleaders for war and conflict, making it almost impossible to find impartial coverage and good reasoning.
Let’s work together to find a peaceful resolution for Thailand and our neighbour as quickly as possible, for both Thailand and Cambodia. This is because the first casualty of war is the truth. The second casualty of war is the ability to use wisdom to process diverse information. And the third casualty of war is humanity. Because looking at the death of a neighboir, labelled as an ‘enemy,’ with satisfaction or without compassion for their fate means you are losing your own humanity to this war.
Besides the combined death toll of around thirty Thai soldiers and civilians (not counting the Cambodian side which is around 134,000 individuals evacuated to safe zones across the country, and from July 24 to 27, an estimated 200,000 Cambodians returned to Cambodia from Thailand as the situation escalated, and as of July 28 — 5 Cambodian soldiers were killed and 21 injured. At least 8 civilians have died, with 50 wounded along the border.)
The latest Thai figures show that over 200,000 Thais living along the border have had to evacuate. Tens of thousands of Cambodian workers in Thailand are still struggling to carry their belongings to return home to Cambodia in a scene similar to refugeees fleeing.
The border trade economy between Thailand and Cambodia is in ruins.
But the so-called Thai keyboard warriors, who are ultra-nationalists, sit typing away in air-conditioned rooms, sipping lattes or matcha cappuccinos, who should bear some responsibility, won’t take any. At most, when a soldier dies, they’ll post “Thank you for sacrificing your life for the nation” and then quickly move on… scrolling through their phones, continuing with their normal lives far away from the Thai-Cambodia border… as the call for more attacks continue despite the fragile truce on July 29.
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