There has been a recent military conflict along the Thailand-Cambodia border. Online rumors have emerged that a racing pigeon from Thailand was suspected by the Cambodian side of being a military espionage tool, prompting widespread ridicule among Thai netizens, and the incident quickly gained online attention.
The Cambodian Facebook page បាត់ដំបង ប៉ុស្តិ៍ posted several photos and videos of a pigeon. In one photo, a leg band inscribed with the word 'Thailand' can be seen on the bird. The post claimed that the pigeon was captured by a Cambodian citizen and was equipped with Thai GPS, suspecting it was involved in espionage activities.
The news immediately drew widespread discussion. Thai netizens shared the news in Thai Facebook groups, leading to a wave of derision; most expressed unanimous incredulity and viewed the claim as absurd.
Thai Facebook fanpage “Army Military Force – สำรอง” reposted the content, sarcastically saying: “Come take a look at the ignorance of the Cambodians. They took a photo of a racing pigeon’s leg band and insisted on making up a story that it’s a Thai military GPS carrier-pigeon sent to scout Cambodian military intelligence.”
“Satellites are used nowadays. Military satellites can even see the back door of Hun Sen’s kitchen.”
The post also claimed the photos were actually taken in Thailand and criticized the spread of false information.
In reality, this pigeon is most likely an ordinary racing or homing pigeon, and its leg band is a common identification accessory, with no direct evidence suggesting any military use.
Even so, some Cambodian netizens remain convinced, and heated “war of words” has erupted online between people from both countries.
As of now, neither the Thai nor Cambodian government has issued any official response to this incident.