Air Chief Marshal Prapas Sornchaidee has rejected Cambodian recent accusations that Thailand acted as an aggressor, breached the 2000 Memorandum of Understanding and used heavy weapons in a brutal or inhumane way, during 2025 border clashes. Prapas, assistant commander-in-chief of the Royal Thai Air Force and director of the Thailand-Cambodia Joint Information Centre (JIC), said on Monday 24 August 2026, that Thailand had acted in self-defence after attacks on its forces and BM-21 rockets struck civilian areas in Thailand. He said claims of such gravity must be judged against evidence, a full timeline and facts that can be independently verified, rather than repeated until they appear credible. Thailand cites attacks on forces and civilians According to Prapas, Thailand did not seek fighting and has no policy of invading or occupying a neighbouring country's territory. But he said attacks on Thai personnel and BM-21 rocket strikes that caused deaths and injuries in civilian areas could not be left out of the account. "When Thailand's people, personnel and territory are threatened, the country has a duty to defend itself," he said. Thailand's use of force was intended to respond to and halt the threat, protect civilians, personnel and sovereignty, and was not intended to harm Cambodian civilians, he added. Call to keep forces in existing positions Prapas urged Cambodia to revisit the joint statement issued on December 27, 2025, which he said was intended to lower tensions, preserve the ceasefire and prevent further escalation. A central principle was that both countries' forces should stay where they were, with neither side moving personnel or using the post-ceasefire period to gain a unilateral military advantage, he said. Addressing Cambodia's allegation that Thailand had ignored the 2000 MoU, Prapas asked what evidence supported it. He said a territorial claim, or a map based on one side's interpretation, did not automatically establish ownership of disputed land. Where the countries still disagree, he said, they should use mechanisms accepted by both sides rather than one party declaring the area its territory and labelling anyone there an aggressor. Prapas warns against information campaign The JIC director said civilian deaths on either side were regrettable but should not be used to support one narrative while branding the other party brutal or inhumane without considering the full sequence of events. He said the international community should examine who first used weapons, what was deployed, where weapons were fired, the intended targets, the effect on civilians and measures taken to protect them. Prapas also rejected the claim that "the world knows who is right and who is wrong", saying no side could speak for the international community. Countries confident in their version should submit evidence, timelines, coordinates and other verifiable material through appropriate channels, he said. He called for provocations to stop both on the battlefield and online, saying Thailand and Cambodia would remain neighbours. Thailand's position, he said, was that both sides should observe a genuine ceasefire, retain agreed force positions and return to talks based on evidence, law and good faith. "Thailand does not want war and does not want anyone else's territory," Prapas said. Join the discussion? 26 August 2026
View full article
