ASEAN Beat | Diplomacy | Southeast Asia

Cambodia Rejects Thai Claims It Launched a Grenade at Thai Troops

Worryingly, the current rumblings resemble the disputes that preceded major outbreaks of fighting in July and December.

This photo released by Cambodia’s Ministry of Information on Dec. 13, 2025 shows the aftermath of a Thai air strike on Chey Chumneas Bridge in Pursat province’s Veal Veng district.

Hostilities along the Cambodian-Thai frontier are again threatening to reignite after the Thai military admitted it opened fire just three days after seizing a Cambodian fishing vessel, impounding the boat, and detaining three fishermen.

In both incidents, the Thai military justified its actions, claiming Cambodia was in the wrong. It insists that Cambodian soldiers had fired a 40mm grenade first, while the vessel was seized after the fishermen had strayed into Thai territorial waters.

Each incident prompted a strong denial from Cambodia’s Defense Ministry spokesperson Lt. Gen. Maly Socheata, who said claims that Khmer soldiers had shot a grenade first were false, and this was established during talks by both sides at the border.

“During these exchanges, Cambodian officials clearly affirmed that no Cambodian forces had fired any weapons as alleged,” she said, adding that misinformation could lead to misunderstandings and increased tensions.

However, that claim had circulated on Thai military websites, lending credence to a military response when the reality was that independent verification of either incident was close to impossible.

The latest rumblings sound eerily similar to what happened before major battles erupted in July and December last year.

Back then, blame was routinely traded over who started brief firefights as Thai soldiers repeatedly stepped on landmines, about a dozen times, amid accusations that they were freshly laid by Cambodian troops.

Again, hotly disputed, and one does wonder why Thai soldiers would continue to patrol areas with a long history of mines from previous conflicts and without landmine detectors.

But it was the niggling factor, egged on by dirty tricks like the Thai psyops campaign aimed at civilians, that helped provoke an undeclared war.

Each alleged breach was built on top of the next, when the Thai military always knew it had Cambodia outgunned with supreme air superiority backed by fighter jets acquired from Sweden and the United States.

Some targets, such as military and perhaps scam centers, may have been justified, but the killing of civilians and a million people forced to flee their homes was not.

By year-end, Thailand had seized control of much of the disputed territory along the border and the Cambodians who lived there had seen their homes destroyed and replaced by shipping containers, razor wire, and sandbags. More than 65,000 Cambodians still cannot return home.

In the meantime, Cambodia has pushed its case hard in the diplomatic arena. Prime Minister Hun Manet has orchestrated border visits........

© The Diplomat