Thai military prepared for ‘high-level operation’ if Cambodia border row escalates

BANGKOK - Thailand’s military said it is ready to launch a “high-level operation” to counter any violation of its sovereignty, in the strongest words yet in a simmering border dispute with Cambodia that re-erupted with a deadly clash last week.

The army said in a statement late on June 5 that its intelligence gathering indicated Cambodia had stepped up its military readiness at their border while diplomatic efforts were ongoing, describing that as “worrisome”.

Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra held a meeting of the National Security Council on June 6 and said that while the military was ready to defend Thai sovereignty, it understood the situation and when an escalation would be required.

“The military has confirmed readiness for any scenario,” she said. “But any clash will cause damage, so we will pursue peaceful means.”

“The government and military are working together, supporting each other,” Ms Paetongtarn added.

The two governments had for days exchanged carefully worded statements committing to dialogue after a brief skirmish in an undemarcated border area on May 28 in which a Cambodian soldier was killed.

Ahead of the meeting on June 6, the army had said it was “now ready for a high-level military operation in case it is necessary to retaliate”.

“Operations of units at the border have been conducted carefully, calmly and based on an understanding of the situation to prevent losses on all sides, but at the same time, are ready to defend the country’s sovereignty to the fullest extent if the situation is called for,” said the army.

Cambodia’s government did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the Thai military statement on June 6.

Although the two countries have a historic rivalry, their governments enjoy friendly ties, partly due to the close relationship between their influential former leaders, Thailand’s Thaksin Shinawatra and Cambodia’s Hun Sen, whose daughter and son respectively are now the prime ministers in their countries. 

The issue comes at a tricky time for the Pheu Thai Party-led administration in Thailand as it battles to revive a flagging economy that could be hit by steep US tariffs, while facing a challenge to its popularity for having paused a signature cash handout to tens of millions of people.

The party of the billionaire Shinawatra family has a troubled history with the Thai military, which twice toppled its governments in 2006 and 2014 coups.

After the security meeting on June 6, Thai armed forces chief Songwit Noonpackdee said the military supported the government’s approach to settling the dispute peacefully.

Defence Minister Phumtham Wechayachai said that in a meeting on June 5 with his Cambodian counterpart Thia Saya, they discussed avoiding violence and proceeding with caution. He said he proposed that both sides retreat to positions previously agreed in 2024.

Deadly clashes between Cambodia and Thailand last erupted in 2011 over the Preah Vihear, a 900-year-old temple at the heart of a decades-long row that has stirred nationalist sentiment on both sides.

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) in 2013 ruled in favour of Cambodia in clarifying a 1962 decision to award it jurisdiction over the temple.

Cambodia said this week it would refer disputes over four parts of the border to the ICJ and has asked Thailand to cooperate.

Thailand says it does not recognise the court’s jurisdiction. REUTERS