Military clashes broke out on the Thai-Cambodian border on Thursday, marking the most dangerous escalation in decades of territorial disputes.
The origin of the dispute between Thailand and Cambodia can be traced back to a map drawn during the French colonial period in Cambodia in 1907. The ambiguous borderlines led to differing interpretations by Thailand and Cambodia over the ownership of sites such as Preah Vihear Temple.
After Cambodia's independence, the International Court of Justice ruled in 1962 that Preah Vihear Temple and the surrounding 4.6 square kilometers of disputed land belonged to Cambodia, but the surrounding areas remained disputed.
From 2005 to 2013, relations between the two countries became even more tense. In 2008, Cambodia applied to have Preah Vihear Temple listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, which reignited confrontation, and in 2011 the two sides engaged in deadly artillery clashes. Although the International Court again ruled in 2013 that Cambodia held sovereignty, anti-Cambodian sentiment among the Thai public did not subside.
On February 13, 2015, Thai soldiers prevented Cambodian tourists from singing the Cambodian national anthem at the contested Ta Muen Thom temple complex on the border, escalating tensions. Later, on May 28, 2025, soldiers from Cambodia and Thailand exchanged gunfire in the Emerald Triangle area on the borders of Thailand, Cambodia, and Laos, resulting in the death of a Cambodian soldier. Both countries issued statements accusing each other of provoking the violence, once again straining bilateral relations.
In addition, former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin has close ties with Cambodian Senate President Hun Sen, and their descendants--former Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet--have continued this friendship. On June 15, an audio recording in which Paetongtarn referred to Hun Sen as "uncle" and criticized Thai military leaders was leaked, causing heated controversy.
Hun Sen admitted to the leak, sparking a political chain reaction. The Thai Bhumjaithai Party* withdrew from the ruling coalition, and another 36 senators submitted a petition to the Constitutional Court; on July 1, Paetongtarn was suspended from the prime ministership pending a morality investigation.
On July 15, Cambodian troops were accused of crossing the border into Thai territory near the Ta Muan Thom Temple. On July 23, a Thai soldier lost his leg to a landmine; Thai authorities accused Cambodia of placing new Russian-made mines, further escalating already tense relations between the two countries.