AKP Phnom Penh, June 25, 2025 --

Nobody knows whom to trust in Thailand’s media communication.

The weakest link would be the Thai foreign affairs’ people as they have become the puppet faces of insincere communications that are contradictory to facts on the ground.

In the breaking news from Bangkok on 24 June, it was reported that Thai-Cambodian Border Command Centre (Sor Bor Tor Kor) confirmed on Tuesday afternoon that all checkpoints remain open and electricity power to Cambodia will not be cut off, as they do not want to burden the people of Thailand and Cambodia with problems between the states.

It sounds so nice and both countries’ people would have been celebrating.

But the fact is no one is celebrating, neither Thais nor Cambodians.

From the Cambodian immigration, it was confirmed that O’smach and Choam border gates were open but no one is allowed to crossed the border except emergency conditions.

This is a joke and a lie to the world.

The Thai foreign affairs’ people are required to lie on behalf of the ground actions by the Thai military.

The spokesperson must be really hurt if he is sincere in his profession.

Thailand’s domestic complications have turned every of its neighbour into enemy in almost every direction except China because Thailand cannot intimidate and bully China.

Thailand used to champion on international stage on rule-based multilateralism.

It is painful to see how Thai elites and intellectuals have turned a blind eye to the blatant disregard for international norms by Thai politicians and extremist circles, including the media.

Thailand is currently a member of the Human Rights Council, and it should have an obligation to explain to the world about the current Thailand’s media space and ideological madness.

Here are some examples.

On 20 June, a Thai official filed a complaint with the Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau (CCIB) in Nonthaburi, seeking legal action against Cambodian Senate President Samdech Techo Hun Sen.

Thai court has no jurisdiction whatsoever against Cambodian public figure. This is not simply a domestic legal case but an accusation against a public figure of another state.

Thailand as a member of the United Nations as well as the Group of 77 often aligns itself with the joint declaration in the rejection of the imposition of laws and regulations with extraterritorial impact and all other forms of coercive economic measures, including unilateral sanctions, against other countries.

On the international stage, Thailand speaks well, but with its weaker neighbours, it behaves like a spoiled child.

Another disturbing reality is Thailand’s silence against militarism in their media.

It is a shame that as a responsible member of the United Nations, Thailand allows such expressions including those that suggest invasion of another country.

Some Thai local media with millions of followers have publicised military invasion theory against Cambodia, and some Thai viewers have supported the narratives that push to eliminate Cambodia from the world map.

And no Thai politicians, court, law enforcers, ruling figures, influential figures or intellectuals come out to stop this madness.

No Thai leader has ever publicly condemned such hate speech and notorious remarks that suggest Thailand should invade Cambodia all the way to its capital Phnom Penh, invade Angkor Wat and take Preah Vihear temple by force.

You cannot live next to a neighbour that harbours the ambition to wipe you out from the map.

This is a glorification of militarism and racism that should not be tolerated both domestically and internationally if Thailand is truly a champion of rule-based international order.

But sadly, we don’t know who rule Thailand now.

At least, we are seeing a dangerous silence of approval to extremist ideology to eliminate Cambodia from world map on a daily basis.

We are seeing a glorification of Siam’s ancient map to justify its territorial ambition.

It sounds as if Thailand is trying to live back in the 18th and 19th century.

Some Thai people recalled with great nostalgia that if it weren’t for France, Thailand would not have lost its land to Cambodia. They are talking as if Cambodian people are imported people by France into Thailand’s territory.

This is a great ignorance and denial of history.

Cambodia is a sovereign state with proud people and civilisation. It does not come out of nowhere and the Cambodian territory is not a no-man land for Thailand to claim and reclaim as it pleases based on imperialistic mentality in the past.

We are not living in an era where imperialism is praised.

It is extremely unpleasant that a country as civilised as Thailand would have allowed space for such barbarian remarks that glorified invasion, annexation and eliminating another country from the map.

Such insanity must face with severe punishment on international stage.

If such propaganda continues to enjoy complete freedom in the Thai media and education, Cambodia will never be able to live in peace with Thailand, neither this generation nor the next.

The danger lies not only in the visible actions, but also in the dangerous thoughts and ideologies passed down from one generation to the next.

By Chan Kunthiny – a Phnom Penh-based geopolitical and security analyst

(The views and opinions expressed here are the author’s own.)