Border Thai and Cambodian Troops Clash Near Ta Muen Thom Temple

[spidermike007]

1 minute ago, emptypockets said:

That's what has been reported in the media. What do you think the real reason is?

My guess is that 95% of the time the media either gets it wrong, or just doesn't understand what the behind the scene events looks like, and simply follows kind of a baseline narrative. 

[jvs]

1 hour ago, The Cyclist said:

Thai Embassy have instructed all Thai Nationals to get out of Cambodia.

 

I can see this spiraling.

And go where? I was reading the border is totally locked down.

 

[sqwakvfr]

F-16's were used to conduct airstrikes into Cambodia.  As far as I can tell Cambodia does not have fighter jets.  Thailand could end this quickly by conducting more F-16 airstrikes. 

 

[Georgealbert]

UPDATE
F-16s New Strike on Cambodian Military Base Near Ta Muen Thom – All Jets Return Safely

 

File picture courtesy of Amarin.

 

In a decisive escalation of military operations along the Thai-Cambodian border, the Royal Thai Air Force launched a second airstrike on 24 July, targeting a key Cambodian military command post located south of the ancient Ta Muen Thom temple in Surin province.

 

At approximately 16:40, four F-16 fighter jets conducted a precision bombing mission on the Cambodian base, reportedly striking the intended target without deviation. The strike was carried out in retaliation for earlier Cambodian military aggression along the border.

 

According to a statement shared via the Army Military Force – ReserveFacebook page, the strike was part of Thailand’s continued response to provocations near sensitive archaeological and military zones.

 

The Royal Thai Air Force confirmed that this was the second sortie of the day, involving four F-16s tasked with neutralising a fortified command position. The operation was declared a success, with all four jets returning safely to base by 17:00.

 

The targeted area, located to the south of the ancient Khmer-era Ta Muen Thom sanctuary, has become a flashpoint amid ongoing border tensions. The air raid followed a series of confrontations and disinformation campaigns, including false online claims, debunked as AI-generated fabrications, alleging that Thai aircraft had been shot down.

 

Earlier in the day, images circulated showing Cambodian civilians fleeing by tractor and soldiers seeking cover in bunkers as Thai airpower loomed overhead.

 

Thai military officials have not released details of potential casualties or further strategic objectives but reiterated their commitment to protecting national sovereignty and civilian safety along the border.

 

 

  Adapted by Asean Now from Amarin 2025-07-24

 

 

 

 

[sqwakvfr]

1 hour ago, peter zwart said:

With Cambodia's current arsenal, there isn't much to fear. However, the border areas should be cautious. It only becomes truly troublesome if third parties get involved. It's also a negative development for tourism.

Russian helicopters are no match for F-16's.  Maybe Thailand's plan to upgrade it's fighter fleet with Swedish Gripens is a good idea after all. 

[BE88]

1 hour ago, John Drake said:

 

Prayuth was better.

 

At least he wasn't Hun Sen enemy friend. 

[Espanol]

6 minutes ago, sqwakvfr said:

F-16's were used to conduct airstrikes into Cambodia.  As far as I can tell Cambodia does not have fighter jets.  Thailand could end this quickly by conducting more F-16 airstrikes. 

 

 

 

Have you heard about anti-aircraft missiles and about drones?

 

 

[Cameroni]

32 minutes ago, Lorry said:

This is an unprovoked aggression from Cambodia.  Thailand is only defending herself against this aggressor.

 

Completely corect. The Cambodians mined the border area, a Thai soldier lost his legs.

 

Outrageous provocations by Cambodia, which needs to be taught a lesson.

 

Release the Gripen!

[JBChiangRai]

Don’t believe everything you read.

 

Al Jazeera has this to say “Thailand’s military said Cambodian troops opened fire first with heavy weapons, while Cambodia’s Ministry of National Defence said its troops acted in self-defence after coming under attack.”

What is important to remember is that Cambodia offered to let the International Court adjudicate.  Thailand refused.

 

Why did Thailand refuse?  It seems a very reasonable solution to me.

 

 

[sqwakvfr]

Just now, Espanol said:

 

 

Have you heard about anti-aircraft missiles and about drones?

 

 

Yes this is why most western air forces plan airstrikes at night or from higher altitudes.  No reports of any RTAF aircarft being shot down. 

[Georgealbert]

A post from unverified social media removed. @SAFETY FIRST

[Lorry]

22 minutes ago, emptypockets said:

That's what has been reported in the media. What do you think the real reason is?

I don't know. 

I get my news mostly from foreign sources,  mostly Anglo-Saxon, and I have read various interpretations. 

This one is from the Bangkok Post:

 

Hun Sen may be calculating that a small military confrontation with Thailand will help his son to consolidate his hold on power. However, it's just as likely that the Thai hardliners would exploit a brief victorious war (Thais outnumber Cambodians by around four-to-one) to legitimise their intended coup d'etat.

Please credit and share this article with others using this link: https://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/opinion/3061092/too-long-in-power-a-bad-idea-for-leaders. View our policies at http://goo.gl/9HgTd and http://goo.gl/ou6Ip. © Bangkok Post PCL. All rights reserved.

 

I have no idea. 

[mfd101]

So now we have about 10 or 12 (I've lost count - they don't stay still) of members & near-members of the family, all camping downstairs. About evenly divided between adults and children (including near-adults). They'll sleep on the floor of the living room and in the 2 downstairs bedrooms, and in a small tent being set up outside. (Pray for no rain!).

 

Showers have been had and we don't seem to have run out of towels or water yet (have to pump up from 40m down every week). Currently being served noodles with noodles by my b/f. A more extensive range of cheap plates has been bought ... Takers for my double-shot short blacks are rare.

 

I've retired - thankfully - to the silence of my library, with an apple & an orange. Explosions have gone quiet for the last hour. Time for dinner on the frontier I guess.

[Felt 35]

28 minutes ago, Lorry said:

Do you really think they fight about a temple?

 

The border dispute between Thailand and Cambodia has been a long-standing conflict. When France colonized Cambodia in 1863, they drew a border for the country. This has been constantly disputed by Thailand.

The conflict flares up from time to time. This time the conflict has escalated after a Cambodian soldier was killed on May 28 at the border.

 

Thailand has accused Cambodia of laying new mines that injured Thai soldiers.

Internal political conditions in Thailand and Cambodia are often the reason for the flare-ups and the border dispute is being used to mobilize nationalist feelings in both countries.

In this case, it is particularly political circumstances on the Thai side that may explain the escalation.

 

Background

The border is particularly contentious because of the Preah Vihear Temple, which is located in the area. This is an ancient temple located on a mountain ledge near the border between Thailand and Cambodia.

The Preah Vihear Temple, which Thais call Phra Viharn, has significance both as a cultural symbol and a religious place of worship for people on both sides of the border.

The temple was built in the 12th century during the Khmer Empire, the ancestors of today's Cambodians. However, the area has been under both Cambodian and Thai control throughout history.

– Back then, there were no nation-states, but dynamic borders. It was the Europeans who were concerned with the map, and what is mine and what is yours, who brought the border with them during the colonial era. 

 

In 1962, the International Court of Justice in The Hague ruled that the temple belongs to Cambodia, but the conflict flared up again in 2008 when Cambodia applied to have Preah Vihear registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

 

[The Cyclist]

31 minutes ago, jvs said:

And go where? I was reading the border is totally locked down.

 

 

Vietnam or Laos, and make your way back into thailand via the long road, would seem the logical option.

[mfd101]

17 minutes ago, Felt 35 said:

 

 

[ExpatOilWorker]

[Georgealbert]

UPDATE
Twelve Killed in Cambodian Artillery Strikes on Civilian Areas, Says Health Minister

 

The Health Minister, Somsak Thepsuthin, confirmed late afternoon of 24 July, that 12 people, 11 civilians and one Thai soldier, were killed in artillery shelling launched by Cambodian forces, in what officials have condemned as a blatant attack on civilian areas.

 

The strikes, which also wounded at least 24 civilians and seven military personnel, included a direct hit on a hospital within Thai territory. Among the civilian casualties was a child, underscoring the devastating impact on non-combatants.

 

“These were not military targets, these were homes, a hospital, and areas where innocent people live,” said Mr Somsak. “The loss of life is tragic and unacceptable.”

 

The foreign ministry issued a strongly worded statement, accusing Cambodia of committing “severe violations of international law” by targeting civilians and critical infrastructure. The ministry urged Phnom Penh to immediately halt all hostile actions and reaffirmed Thailand’s right to defend its territory.

 

 

  Adapted by Asean Now from Foreign/Health Ministries 2025-07-24

 

 

 

 

[Cameroni]

2 hours ago, Felt 35 said:

 

The border dispute between Thailand and Cambodia has been a long-standing conflict. When France colonized Cambodia in 1863, they drew a border for the country. This has been constantly disputed by Thailand.

The conflict flares up from time to time. This time the conflict has escalated after a Cambodian soldier was killed on May 28 at the border.

 

Thailand has accused Cambodia of laying new mines that injured Thai soldiers.

Internal political conditions in Thailand and Cambodia are often the reason for the flare-ups and the border dispute is being used to mobilize nationalist feelings in both countries.

In this case, it is particularly political circumstances on the Thai side that may explain the escalation.

 

Background

The border is particularly contentious because of the Preah Vihear Temple, which is located in the area. This is an ancient temple located on a mountain ledge near the border between Thailand and Cambodia.

The Preah Vihear Temple, which Thais call Phra Viharn, has significance both as a cultural symbol and a religious place of worship for people on both sides of the border.

The temple was built in the 12th century during the Khmer Empire, the ancestors of today's Cambodians. However, the area has been under both Cambodian and Thai control throughout history.

– Back then, there were no nation-states, but dynamic borders. It was the Europeans who were concerned with the map, and what is mine and what is yours, who brought the border with them during the colonial era. 

 

In 1962, the International Court of Justice in The Hague ruled that the temple belongs to Cambodia, but the conflict flared up again in 2008 when Cambodia applied to have Preah Vihear registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

 

 

It's actually French incompetence that caused the present problem:

 

"In 1907, the Thai-Cambodian border was mapped by the French on behalf of a bilateral border commission. According to the 1904 agreement, the border would follow the natural watershed between the countries. However, the resulting map deviated by showing Preah Vihear Temple as being in Cambodia, even though it is on the Thai side of the watershed. Thailand accepted the map for official use. The Thais discovered the error when they made their own survey in the 1930s, but the ICJ ruled that they had waited too long to protest and lost the temple by "acquiescence".

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008–2013_Cambodian–Thai_border_crisis

[chickenslegs]

18 minutes ago, JBChiangRai said:

Don’t believe everything you read.

 

Al Jazeera has this to say “Thailand’s military said Cambodian troops opened fire first with heavy weapons, while Cambodia’s Ministry of National Defence said its troops acted in self-defence after coming under attack.”

What is important to remember is that Cambodia offered to let the International Court adjudicate.  Thailand refused.

 

Why did Thailand refuse?  It seems a very reasonable solution to me.

 

 

 

Thailand is a sovereign nation and does not accept the jurisdiction of the ICJ.

 

Who threw the first punch is debated but that is now academic. As far as I can tell, the Cambodians are bombing both military and civilian areas but the Thais have been targeting only areas of military/strategic importance. All the reported deaths (with the exception of the Cambodian soldier shot in May) have been Thais inside undisputed Thailand.

 

  

[MarkBR]

5 hours ago, ChipButty said:

https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1EmmJWtkqx/ 

 

Cambodians using Grad missile launcher 

GRADs are nasty.  Reason I left a teaching job in Tripoli.

[BE88]

46 minutes ago, Cameroni said:

 

Completely corect. The Cambodians mined the border area, a Thai soldier lost his legs.

 

Outrageous provocations by Cambodia, which needs to be taught a lesson.

 

Release the Gripen!

 

Completely incorrect.  Start soldier Thai first kill soldier Cambodia. 

[Cameroni]

11 minutes ago, BE88 said:

Completely incorrect.  Start soldier Thai first kill soldier Cambodia. 

 

Incorrect. Cambodia soldier fire first. Thai respond provocation.

 

https://theasialive.com/u-s-ally-and-chinas-strategic-partner-exchange-fire-in-southeast-asia-cambodia-thailand-border-skirmish-raises-fears-of-renewed-regional-instability/2025/06/02/

[Mark1969]

1 hour ago, jvs said:

And go where? I was reading the border is totally locked down.

Have flights been cancelled?

[hotandsticky]

6 minutes ago, bubblegum said:

Mr. No nothing. What money?

 

 

Related to Dr No ?

[Yagoda]

7 minutes ago, hotandsticky said:

 

 

Related to Dr No ?

Its just noise from No body

[Pla Simon]

My village - 13km from Chong Chom has been evacuated this afternoon, most people being ferried to Prasat.

 

Explosions still being heard / felt 30 minutes ago.

[jvs]

What can we expect next a coup in Thailand and in Cambodia?

 

[tso310]

6 hours ago, John Drake said:

So when the RTAF goes  into action, it uses F16s, not Gripens.

Grippens are based in the south. F-16s are out of RTAF Korat. Seen them over lower Buriram regularly. Those F-16s, block 15?, are out of date and are due to be replaced by Grippen 'E's. Selected in 2024 but not sure if the order has been placed. A lot cheaper than latest F-16 block 70 and far easier and cheaper to maintain. 

[BE88]

38 minutes ago, Cameroni said:

 

Incorrect. Cambodia soldier fire first. Thai respond provocation.

 

https://theasialive.com/u-s-ally-and-chinas-strategic-partner-exchange-fire-in-southeast-asia-cambodia-thailand-border-skirmish-raises-fears-of-renewed-regional-instability/2025/06/02/

 

Yes but one dead person counts more than shots in the air