Official Thai Army Statement to Military Attaché, Diplomats, Thai and Foreign Media.

1. Sequence of Events & Facts

1.1 Sequence of Events

Since the beginning of 2025, the Cambodian side has conducted provocative actions to create tensions through military and civilian activities, with the following key sequence of events:

• February 13, 2025: Bringing tourists to sing patriotic songs in the Ta Muen Thom temple area
• February 28, 2025: Burning of the Trimukh Pavilion, which is a symbolic structure representing international cooperation between Thailand, Cambodia, and Laos
• March to April 2025: Cambodian soldiers modified the terrain along the border area for military purposes such as strengthening fortifications, improving routes, and expand additional trench lines into Thai territory
• April to May 2025: The Cambodian side moved additional personnel and military equipment closer to the Thai-Cambodian border, significantly increasing their presence as evidenced by satellite imagery analysis by foreign researchers. Subsequently, the Cambodian side intruded into Thai territory by digging trenches
• May 28: Cambodia began open fire in skirmish between both units, with the Thai side responding in self-defense in the Chong Bok area. The Thai military and government attempted to resolve the problem through bilateral means, which was unsuccessful
• July 2025: Cambodian soldiers intruded and secretly planted anti-personnel mines in multiple areas within Thai territory, causing Thai soldiers on patrol to be injured and lose legs from PMN-2 anti-personnel mines on two occasions. This constituted a serious and deliberate violation of humanitarian principles by the Cambodian side, as well as an intentional violation of the Ottawa Convention that both Thailand and Cambodia have ratified. Additionally, before the incidents, there was the demining operation by Thai troops and safely cleared the area.

Meanwhile, the Cambodian side attempted provocative displays by sending Cambodian soldiers both in uniform and out of uniform posing as civilians, as well as organizing crowds of Cambodians from Phnom Penh and nearby areas to enter the Ta Kwai temple, Ta Muen temple, and other areas along the border to create content and engage in provocative behavior toward Thai tourists, Thai civilians, and Thai soldiers in the area, leading to confrontations with risks of clashes between Thai and Cambodian people in various temple areas.

1.2 Border Control Measures and Cambodia's Opening Fire

After Thai soldiers stepped on PMN-2 anti-personnel mines for the second time, the situation showed signs of escalating. This could endanger innocent civilians from such anti-personnel mines. The Thai side therefore implemented border control measures in all temple areas along the border by installing barbed wire fencing.

July 24, 2025: Cambodian soldiers began firing at Thai soldiers stationed at Ta Muen Thom temple first, using small arms, guns, and mortar grenade launchers, leading to clashes. Subsequently, the Cambodian side escalated to using combat forces and supporting weapons, artillery, and BM-21 multiple rocket launchers to attack the Thai side along the entire border, deliberately targeting civilian objectives located nearly 10 to 30 kilometers from the border as follows:

• Phanom Dong Rak Hospital, Surin Province
• PTT gas station at Ban Phue, Kantharalak District, Sisaket Province
• 7-Eleven convenience store at Ban Phue, Kantharalak District, Sisaket Province
• Schools in Surin and Sisaket provinces
• Civilian homes such as Ban Kruad village, Ban Kud Chiang in Surin, Buriram, Sisaket, and Ubon Ratchathani provinces

This resulted in 15 civilian injuries and 36 deaths, with one of the deceased being only 8-year-old child, and more than 150,000 people requiring evacuation.

1.3 Thailand's Response Under the Framework of International Law

From the aforementioned events, the Thai side has conducted retaliatory actions under the principle of the Right of Self-Defense as stipulated in international law, particularly Article 51 of the UN Charter, which states that "Nothing in the present Charter shall impair the inherent right of individual or collective self-defence if an armed attack occurs against a Member of the United Nations."

Thailand's response is therefore a lawful action conducted under the principles of Necessity and Proportionality, with the sole objectives of deterring threats, reducing civilian casualties, and maintaining national sovereignty stability. Thailand has no intention to invade or take any actions beyond the scope of self-defense against threats from the Cambodian side.

Thailand has targeted only military objectives, while the Cambodian side has used indiscriminate targeting, resulting in civilian casualties on the Thai territory.

Furthermore, positioned supporting weapons in civilian community areas, essentially using human shields, which Thailand refrained from targeting in response.

This constitutes a deliberate and serious violation of international humanitarian law and human rights principles that is unforgivable, and no civilized nation in the world would accept such inhumane actions.

2. Current Situation - Cambodia Continues Military Operations

2.1 After ceasefire agreement negotiations in Malaysia on July 28, 2025, after midnight, the Cambodian side violated the ceasefire agreement in the following areas:

(1) Chong Bok Area, Ubon Ratchathani Province

(2) Sam Tae Area, Si Sa Ket Province

(3) Pha Mor E Daeng, Si Sa Ket Province

(4) Phu Ma Khua/Khanmar Area, Si Sa Ket Province

(5) Phlan Yao Area, Si Sa Ket Province

(6) Ta Kwai Temple, Surin Province

The Cambodian side continued to violate the ceasefire agreement until July 30, 2025 at 0510 hours. Details as shown

2.2 On July 31, 2025, Cambodian soldiers were detected reinforcing their forces in areas along the entire Thai border, and the use of drones conducting surveillance at inner area of Thai territory in significant number

3. Cambodian Disinformation

Cambodia alleges that:

3.1 Thailand invaded Cambodia and violated UN principles, sovereignty, and territorial integrity?

Facts: Thailand is a UN member state that strictly respects the UN Charter, including the principle of non-use of force in resolving international disputes (Article 2(4) UN Charter).

• Thailand's actions constitute necessary and proportionate self-defense (necessity & proportionality) under the rights specified in Article 51 of the Charter, after the Cambodian side used weapons to attack Thai military posts, administrative areas, and Thai communities in multiple locations.
• There is clear evidence that Cambodian forces moved into Thai territory on multiple occasions and used weapons to attack Thai targets, particularly civilian targets, such as attacking Phanom Dong Rak Hospital, which is nearly 10 km from the border, and Ban Phue gas station, which is 30 km from the border.

3.2 Use of Chemical Explosives?

Facts: This is a serious and completely baseless allegation. Thailand is a party to the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) and strictly complies with its provisions. No unit in the Thai military uses chemical weapons, whether tactically or strategically. Such allegations constitute war propaganda and are an attempt to distort facts for defamation purposes.

- The case of the "chemical explosives" images disseminated by the Cambodian government are actually footage from wildfire suppression missions in California, United States in 2022, which can be viewed through online media.

3.3 Thailand uses F-16 aircraft and large quantities of heavy weapons?

Facts: All weapons used in the response were appropriate and proportionate, aimed at deterring Cambodian incursions and targeting military objectives along the border area. This was not an offensive attack.

It is the Cambodian side that deployed forces and fired weapons from civilian areas, using communities as "human shields," which constitutes a serious violation of International Humanitarian Laws.

3.4 Thailand used MK-84 bombs that fell on Cambodian civilian homes?

The statement by Mr. Heng Ratana, head of Cambodia's CMAC, alleging that Thailand recently dropped MK-84 bombs in Cambodia, clearly bears the characteristics of disinformation by citing old images and creating false connections.

The Thai side completely rejects Cambodia's allegations. The images of explosive ordnance that Cambodia claims to be MK-84 are actually old explosives from the Vietnam War era. This allegation is not consistent with scientific prove as show in the picture.

Thailand hereby condemns and calls on Cambodia to stop making false allegations aimed at inciting hatred, and requests that Cambodia cooperate with Thailand and the international community in peacefully resolving the border situation through straightforward negotiations and cooperation.

Most recently, on July 30, 2025, the Cambodian side invited the foreign military attachés stationed in Cambodia to inspect the combat area 30 km from the border. However, the Cambodian side changed plans to take the delegation to the Chong An Ma area, which is a combat zone that still poses safety risks.