ASEAN Beat | Society | Southeast Asia

A Peacemaker Tries to Defuse Tribal Nastiness of the Thai-Cambodian Border Conflict

Hyper-nationalistic rhetoric is complicating the resolution of the ongoing border dispute, but ending it is not an easy task.

In this photo released by the Royal Thai Army on Jul. 26, 2025, the Burapha Task Force deploys to “push back and dismantle Cambodian structures” on territory claimed by Thailand.

Tribalism and war often go hand-in-hand, and last year’s border conflict between Cambodia and Thailand was no exception. Nationalistic rhetoric was amplified on both sides of the frontier and too often rendered any meaningful discourse as heresy.

Those who dared to offer an opinion were and still are getting whacked by the law. On that score, Cambodia’s ruling “elites” have much to answer for, after losing control of strategically important border territory to Thailand.

Licadho, a local human rights group that monitors Cambodia’s courts, has issued dispatches covering at least 20 people who have been detained, charged, and imprisoned after offending the wrong people with Facebook posts. Nearly all were regarding the conflict with Thailand.

Among them were journalists and opposition politicians but also a monk, teachers, street vendors, and salespeople – people from all walks of life who simply questioned the undeclared war.

That’s why Rin (a pseudonym) would prefer to remain anonymous while reaching out to the regional media with his efforts aimed at reducing the nationalistic claptrap that continues to erupt from both sides of the border.

He has established Apology Culture, an English-, Thai-, and Khmer-language website, and published short videos through his YouTube channel with translated subtitles.

“Most media outlets report primarily to one audience,” Rin said. “As a result, people often hear only the mistakes of the other side and rarely reflect on their own.”

Rin told The Diplomat that his purpose was not to shame either nation but to create a culture where difficult questions can be discussed without immediately being dismissed as treason.

“Just like we created sex education to manage our natural instincts, I believe we urgently need a kind of maturity education to manage our tribal instincts. Since schools aren’t teaching it, I’m trying to fill that gap through these pages,” he said.

Rin is of mixed parentage,........

© The Diplomat