Thai Airstrikes Rip Through Border Villages as Phnom Penh Questions Bangkok’s Motives

Thai warplanes and artillery smashed into Cambodian territory on 8^th and 9^th December, tearing through villages near Preah Vihear and the Ta Muen and Ta Moan complex in one of Thailand’s most aggressive cross-border assaults in years. Cambodian officials say civilians were killed, homes destroyed, and thousands forced to flee overnight as Thailand shattered a fragile truce that had barely taken hold. Cambodian authorities have now confirmed that six Khmer civilians were killed in the attacks over the last 24 hours.

Local authorities described chaos as families ran from shelling that hit homes, schools, and evacuation routes. Hospitals in affected districts were forced to shut down as bombardment continued into Monday morning. One district official who helped coordinate evacuations said the strikes came without warning and described them as a deliberate attack on civilian communities.

Bangkok claims it was acting in self-defence after an earlier clash that killed a Thai soldier. Cambodian officials reject that explanation and say Thai forces initiated pre-dawn strikes while Cambodian troops held their positions and refrained from returning fire in the early hours. Phnom Penh has condemned the offensive as unprovoked aggression that endangers regional stability.

The timing has raised questions in Cambodia. Thailand is wrestling with political turmoil at home, including ministerial reshuffles, budget disputes, and growing criticism over problems plaguing preparations for the 2026 ASEAN Games. With construction delays mounting and public confidence fading, Cambodian observers note that the border crisis has suddenly pushed domestic scrutiny in Thailand off the front pages.

Rather than confronting the embarrassment of unfinished venues and stalled procurement, critics argue that Thai leaders now have an opportunity to redirect attention toward a unifying security narrative. Any potential delay to the ASEAN Games can be framed as a matter of national safety instead of administrative failure. Sweeping evacuation orders issued across multiple Thai provinces, many of them far from the immediate conflict zone, have only intensified suspicion in Cambodia that the sense of crisis is being amplified for political benefit.

Meanwhile, Cambodian civilians are bearing the brunt of the violence. Families in Preah Vihear and Oddar Meanchey spent the night in makeshift shelters or fled on foot, leaving behind damaged homes and farmland that had already suffered from earlier clashes this year.

Phnom Penh has urged ASEAN partners not to allow Thai messaging to obscure what Cambodian officials view as the essential fact of the situation: Thailand chose to breach the ceasefire and initiate force across the border. For many in Cambodia, this latest assault fits a long-running pattern in which short-lived periods of calm are repeatedly disrupted by Thai military pressure and, now, possibly by Thailand’s domestic political needs.

Diplomatic efforts continue, but tensions remain high. As Cambodian authorities work to account for the displaced and the dead, a question is increasingly heard in Phnom Penh: What is driving Thailand’s sudden appetite for conflict, and how many Cambodian families will be forced to suffer before the region has clear answers?

https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/thailand-cambodia-fighting-spreads-along-contested-border-2025-12-09/