Photo courtesy of Thai PBS

 

In a bid to shed light on recent hostilities, Thailand today hosted foreign envoys and military attachés, providing them with an on-site perspective of the devastation caused by Cambodian forces during a series of deadly clashes. Over five days of intense conflict, several civilian sites, including schools and hospitals, were targeted, leaving a grim toll.

 

The visiting group received detailed briefings on the situation, highlighting the extent of damage and alleged ceasefire breaches by Cambodia. Their tour commenced at a petrol station in Si Sa Ket province's Kantharalak district, where a convenience store was obliterated by rocket fire. Tragically, this attack claimed the lives of eight Thai civilians, including an eight-year-old boy.

 

As the visit continued, the delegation inspected damage at Phu Mueang Srol Witthaya School and Ban Cham Meng Health Promoting Hospital in Saothongchai subdistrict. Despite being places of learning and healing, both were significantly damaged.

 

The tour concluded at a temporary shelter in Si Sa Ket, providing the envoys with a clearer picture of the hardships faced by displaced civilians.

 

Major General Winthai Suvaree, a spokesperson for the Thai Army, explained the purpose behind hosting the nearly 200-strong delegation, comprising ambassadors, diplomats, military attachés, and journalists. The aim was to underscore the civilian toll of the conflict and Cambodia’s targeting of non-military sites like hospitals and schools.

 

“This visit allows international observers to witness first-hand the realities on the ground and disseminate these insights globally,” Major General Suvaree stated. He noted that unlike Cambodia, Thailand ensured these diplomats saw the affected areas, well removed from active combat zones.

 

The initiative drew appreciation from foreign envoys for Thailand’s transparency, aiding their understanding of the complex situation.

 

Notable participants included ambassadors from Brunei, Japan, and Myanmar, as well as deputy chiefs from Malaysia, Laos, and Indonesia. Other representatives hailed from the United States, China, Singapore, Vietnam, and the Philippines. Military attachés from 23 nations were present, including from major countries such as China, Russia, the United States, and the United Kingdom.

 

Thailand's efforts to spotlight these incidents come amidst heightened tensions in the region, with hopes that international observers will contribute to a more informed and balanced narrative on the global stage. As the conflict’s impacts ripple outward, the involvement of a diverse international audience underscores the gravity of the situation and the urgent need for diplomatic resolution.

 

  Adapted by ASEAN Now from Thai PBS 2025-08-01

 

A new holiday destination??? Disaster tourism

Well worth the effort.

15 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Notable participants included ambassadors from Brunei, Japan, and Myanmar, as well as deputy chiefs from Malaysia, Laos, and Indonesia. Other representatives hailed from the United States, China, Singapore, Vietnam, and the Philippines. Military attachés from 23 nations were present, including from major countries such as China, Russia, the United States, and the United Kingdom.

Half of them went to visit karaokes at night looking for Isaan girls..

16 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Over five days of intense conflict, several civilian sites, including schools and hospitals, were targeted, leaving a grim toll.

I'm not sure you can say they were specifically targeted?

The rockets fired by Cambodia are fire & hope for the best.

They are not guided weapons in anyway.

3 hours ago, hotchilli said:

I'm not sure you can say they were specifically targeted?

The rockets fired by Cambodia are fire & hope for the best.

They are not guided weapons in anyway.

utter BS you cant realy target those things.

2 hours ago, portisaacozzy said:

utter BS you cant realy target those things.

That's what I said ?????

Surely there must be some way for the Cambodians to successfully get their rockets go where they want them to go. If not the chances of a rocket hitting a pam namman or any similar piece of land containing several persons is negligible given the low population density of amphur Kantaralak and most other areas in the southern halves of the four provinces impacted by the pre-ceasefire hostilities. Maybe what happened is that the missiles do have some targetting capacity but only very broadly and not precisely. 

 

It would have made some sense for Cambodia to have targeted Meuang Kantaralak as it is the largest community of people living closeish together within say 40 km of the border I think. Quite possibly this was the enemy's intention but maybe the missile overan the amphur town and hit the PTT in the smaller community of Ban Phue (near Benchalak) by all accounts, killing 8.

Meuangs Sisaket, Ubon, Buriram, Korat and Surin are appreciably further north (say between 70 and 100 km from their nearest Camby border point and therefore probably just as likely to be as unsuccessful as the firings at smaller but nearer communities.

 

Why are we not hearing anything from the journalists or authorities about the range and directional capabilities of the missiles being used by Camby. The claims made by some Asean Now members about Camby rockets a week ago seemed only to conclude that the missiles could travel more than 100km.

The author of this post lives in amphur Kantaralak less than 20 km from the community that sadly suffered 8 losses last week. He and close family evacuated to Bangkok two days later and were contemplating returning imminently. Now we are unsure when but possibly not imminently.

I think Thailand used a lot of restraint in their reaction to the attack . They could easily have dropped a few bombs from those planes they have. 
Hun Sen is not over his anger and jealousy against Thailand, he is a war mongering danger ( I can’t put the word I wanted).

5 minutes ago, geisha said:

They could easily have dropped a few bombs from those planes they have. 

They did. Very effectively.

 

The view here in Phanom Dong Rak district of Surin is that the Cambodians are having difficulty handling the fact that there are a large number of smelly bodies lying just over the border, being devoured slowly by animals & insects. The Cambodian Government can't bring itself to admit the number of deaths and then collect the bodies.