I n less than two weeks, the Thai-Cambodian border conflict is already spilling out of control and, if not handled calmly, will lead to a toxic legacy that would affect Thais and Cambodians alike for a generation, if not more.
What began as a border dispute, with one Cambodian death, has now led to the Thai side choosing to shut down some border checkpoints, beginning to affect trade and cross-border movements of people between the two neighbouring nations.
Some Thais, including former yellow-shirt co-leader Sondhi Limthongkul, said on social media earlier this week that all Cambodians cannot be trusted because this negative trait is “in the DNA” of every Khmer. Even the main opposition People’s Party is calling for the use of economic measures to coerce Cambodia into bilateral talks, despite Cambodia’s call for the use of the International Court of Justice to settle the border disputes.
Thai PM Paetongtarn Shinawatra has refused to accept the jurisdiction of the ICJ, as has been the case for many decades, after Thailand perceived the ICJ, which is in The Hague, as being partial to Cambodia, a former colony of France, a Western colonial power at the time.
Just this morning, the Royal Thai Navy posted a modern rendition of a classic Cold War-era patriotic song, Sued Phan Din (The End of the Earth), which alluded to the belief that Thais cannot retreat any further as we had been doing in the face of foreign aggressors including during the time of French and British colonial conquests in the late 19th century. Such songs can stir a strong sentiment in many Thais, particularly those who grew up during the Cold War when the perceived threat of Communist takeover of Thailand, or Vietnamese invasion, was real.
When so many nationalist calls, it’s thus “understandable” that some Thais are now acting unreasonably. Some call for Thai products not to be sent to Cambodia, thinking that it is the way to punish Cambodians, while not considering that it will affect the Thai economy more, because Thailand enjoys a huge trade surplus with Cambodia.
It’s not just here in Thailand; in Cambodia, some Khmers are also fanning ethnic hatred against Thais. Former Cambodian PM Hun Sen warned on a social media post last night that Cambodians should not escalate the border dispute into racial hatred. I agree with that and I urge Thais, including people like Sondhi, who should have known better, to do the same.
On the impact on trade, Hun Sen, who is currently President of the Cambodian Senate, was quoted by the Khmer Times as saying: “Earlier, I saw that [businessman] Duong Chhay posted a message whose main content was a call to stop using Thai products. Prime Minister Hun Manet and I have already made repeated appeals: please do not escalate the dispute to the point that it spreads into other sectors and fuels ethnic hatred,” he added. “I merely wish to remind both the Cambodian and Thai people that if Thai products are absent from the Cambodian market, it is not because Cambodians have collectively chosen to boycott them. Rather, it is the consequence of a border closure—because when people are blocked, so too are goods.”
Hun Sen then went on to cite 2024 trade statistics, saying Cambodia exported more than $1.1 billion worth of goods to Thailand, while Thailand exported over $5.2 billion to Cambodia, meaning Thailand’s exports exceeded Cambodia’s by more than $4.1 billion. “In the first five months of this year alone, Cambodia exported over $200 million to Thailand, while Thailand exported over $1.5 billion to Cambodia,” he added.
Believe it or not, some Thai ultranationalists are delighted at the fact that fewer Thai products will be sold in Cambodia due to the closure of border checkpoints. Praiwan Wannabutr, a social media influencer and former monk with 4 million followers on Facebook, expressed schadenfreude at the fact that some border checkpoints are now being closed and Cambodians will have less access, or will be deprived of access, to Thai instant noodles, canned sardines, and monosodium glutamate. It is as if Cambodians were handed these goods for free. It is as if these people do not understand that substitute products from Vietnam or China are available and it will be hard for Thai goods to be sold there once Cambodian consumers switch the brands and hate Thais to the guts.
Others on social media are now calling for a purge of Cambodian migrant workers in Thailand – a very disturbing idea.
Yes, we have to settle the border disputes, but let us not unnecessarily allow the conflict to spread into the economic realm and ethnic hatred. The situation is fast getting out of control and will damage both nations and their people. It’s time for reasonable Thais and Cambodians who are patriots and not ultranationalists to try to contain the unnecessary damage and de-escalate the tensions.
It’s time for patriots, both Thais and Cambodians, to speak out and not allow ultranationalists to drag the conflict into the abyss of Thai-Cambodian relations, which will hurt our two countries and our two peoples more than absolutely necessary and take decades to mend.
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