Thailand Cambodia armed conflict -- where do western expats fit in this mess?

[Gottfrid]

22 minutes ago, angryguy said:

Well im leaving in a couple weeks. Cambodia is allowed to invade after i go

Extremely selfish point of view.

[fondue zoo]

 

where we always fit in, at the forefront, making our honky opinions loudly known, insisting we know what they should do and what is best, at the center of all things?

 

[frank83628]

3 hours ago, novacova said:

Of course, not much of a concern at this point and nothing really to get excited about either.

The OP has a tendency to over react somewhat. 

[frank83628]

35 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

In my opinion you are completely wrong.

Western expats in Russia and Ukraine are mostly highly engaged in that war. Even sometimes to the point of fighting. That war has deep Implications to the west. Thailand vs. Cambodia almost none.

 

What proof have you that western expats are fighting for either side in Ukraine.

 

[frank83628]

41 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

Yeah if it becomes a national thing beyond only the border expats will be forced into this.

How?... sounds like you're already hiding behind your sofa

[Will B Good]

2 minutes ago, frank83628 said:

What proof have you that western expats are fighting for either side in Ukraine.

 

Special Forces Presence: Leaked U.S. documents revealed NATO special forces in Ukraine, including:

50 British

17 Latvian

15 French

14 American

1 Dutch

 

Westerners Fighting for Russia

Mercenaries & Recruits: Russia has recruited foreigners from Serbia, Cuba, Nepal, Syria, and India, often through deceptive means or promises of citizenship3.

Nepal & India:

Nepal confirmed 12 citizens killed, with up to 200 fighting for Russia.

India uncovered a human trafficking network luring young men into combat roles.

Captured Fighters: Ukraine reported capturing Chinese nationals fighting for Russia in 2025.

[Jingthing]

Suggest we focus on Thailand vs

Cambodia here. There are plenty of other places to talk about Russia vs. Ukraine 

 

[frank83628]

2 minutes ago, Will B Good said:

Special Forces Presence: Leaked U.S. documents revealed NATO special forces in Ukraine, including:

50 British

17 Latvian

15 French

14 American

1 Dutch

 

Westerners Fighting for Russia

Mercenaries & Recruits: Russia has recruited foreigners from Serbia, Cuba, Nepal, Syria, and India, often through deceptive means or promises of citizenship3.

Nepal & India:

Nepal confirmed 12 citizens killed, with up to 200 fighting for Russia.

India uncovered a human trafficking network luring young men into combat roles.

Captured Fighters: Ukraine reported capturing Chinese nationals fighting for Russia in 2025.

They are not 'expats', which is what JT wrote.

[frank83628]

2 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

Suggest we focus on Thailand vs

Cambodia here. There are plenty of other places to talk about Russia vs. Ukraine 

 

You were the one that mentioned it

[Will B Good]

4 minutes ago, frank83628 said:

They are not 'expats', which is what JT wrote.

 

Whatevs

[frank83628]

5 minutes ago, Will B Good said:

 

Whatevs

Apology accepted

[Will B Good]

2 minutes ago, frank83628 said:

Apology accepted

 

My! You are easily pleased.....555

[TroubleandGrumpy]

4 hours ago, BangkokReady said:

Not everything is about you.

Nothing truer said about the Sexpats in Thailand - and something they will never understand.

[GammaGlobulin]

7 hours ago, Jingthing said:

It's really none of our business. It's not like Russia vs. Ukraine which has very specific meanings to very many westerners.

 

Whatever the political narratives are on both sides, it seems to me that they have nothing to do with us.

 

 

Yes, and THIS is why I so much miss the gold old days of the Vietnam Conflict.

Those were the days when the fighting meant a GREAT DEAL to all good students.

Great to be a uni student with a draft deferment, during the Vietnam War.

 

These days, just due to the present local hostilities, I feel no pressing need to enroll at Chula...

 

 

[Trippy]

I'm going to do what Thailand always does with international conflicts, stay neutral.

If the American embassy advises evacuation, I'm going to leave.

[Jingthing]

I said this conflict has nothing to do with western expats in Thailand or Cambodia and I stand by that. However, the end result of this in the sense that the Thai side of the conflict reflects an internal power/money struggle in Thailand may indeed have an eventual impact on how western expats are treated by the Thai government. So we're spectators but that doesn't mean we're totally immune to the eventual consequences.

[GanDoonToonPet]

2 hours ago, angryguy said:

Well im leaving in a couple weeks. Cambodia is allowed to invade after i go

 

Well, I'm leaving for Cambodia this Monday and come back on Sunday. Cambodia is allowed to invade on Tuesday and conquer by Saturday.

[BE88]

 

My wife is with Thailand so I don't have much choice 

[Jingthing]

3 minutes ago, BE88 said:

 

My wife is with Thailand so I don't have much choice 

Exactly.

[HappyExpat57]

37 minutes ago, BE88 said:

 

My wife is with Thailand so I don't have much choice 

 

[carlyai]

6 hours ago, novacova said:

Of course, not much of a concern at this point and nothing really to get excited about either.

Been thru a couple of coups. Start to worry when all the police visibly disappear. 

[grain]

Well as so many of old expats claim to be Nam Vets, and ex SAS, and ex Paras, maybe Thailand should send recruitment staff around Soi 6 and BuaKhao bars and sign these highly trained military specialists up and put them to good use. 😁

[mfd101]

52 minutes ago, carlyai said:

Of course, not much of a concern at this point and nothing really to get excited about either.

Well, that rather points to what should be the heart of the question: For those of us - quite a lot - who live near the Cambodian border (in my case, Prasat Surin) the issues are practical ones.

 

The little stalls we eat at frequently in PTT down the road have all closed (on the ground that places like PTT are likely targets of Cambodian artillery or rockets ... though none have struck here yet). If Lotus closes, then our main sources of food will have disappeared and we will have to think about what that means in terms of staying put or moving.

 

So far the only worry has been the loud blasts that feel like an earthquake every time the Thai artillery about 2 or 3 kms away sends off a blast. Enough to have frightened most of my Thai Khmer family away yesterday having arrived from Phanom Dong Rak only the day before ... now in Muaeng Surin & Korat where they feel safe.

 

As for me & my b/f and 2 other family members still here, my personal view is it would take much more than this to make me abandon my home, my library, my everything that's important to me in my old age. But of course that view could change very rapidly when & if.

 

Meantime the village head woman has apparently ordered (suggested?) everyone leave. Sorry, I'm hard of hearing ...

 

[faraday]

1 hour ago, GammaGlobulin said:

 

Yes, and THIS is why I so much miss the gold old days of the Vietnam Conflict.

Those were the days when the fighting meant a GREAT DEAL to all good students.

Great to be a uni student with a draft deferment, during the Vietnam War.

 

These days, just due to the present local hostilities, I feel no pressing need to enroll at Chula...

 

 

"The Last Train To Clarkesville"

 

By The Monkees

 

Yep, this song, truly celebrated the glory of war.

 

Anyway, it's getting off-topic, and I really don't welcome yet another thread heroically veering off into US politics—or anything else, associated with it.

 

[GammaGlobulin]

2 hours ago, Trippy said:

I'm going to do what Thailand always does with international conflicts, stay neutral.

If the American embassy advises evacuation, I'm going to leave.

 

But where to go.

This is the question.

[DezLez]

2 hours ago, GammaGlobulin said:

 

Yes, and THIS is why I so much miss the gold old days of the Vietnam Conflict.

Those were the days when the fighting meant a GREAT DEAL to all good students.

Great to be a uni student with a draft deferment, during the Vietnam War.

 

These days, just due to the present local hostilities, I feel no pressing need to enroll at Chula...

 

 

What a disgusting warmongering post!

[faraday]

5 minutes ago, DezLez said:

What a disgusting warmongering post!

 

Can only hope its his form of humour.

[GammaGlobulin]

5 minutes ago, DezLez said:

What a disgusting warmongering post!

 

In fact, there is just too much warmongering happening in our world, these days.

 

I wish it were otherwise.

However, is this not just human nature?

 

Without war, life would be so much better for all.

And yet, will we ever see a world without war?

 

There is no need...

[Liverpool Lou]

7 hours ago, thongplay said:

Whatever you say China will (has) taken control over Cambodia and Thailand is next on the list.

"...Thailand is next on the list".

Total b0llocks.

[DezLez]

1 minute ago, faraday said:

 

Can only hope its his form of humour.

If so it is bloody well warped!