BANGKOK – On Thursday, a convoy of 14 septic trucks rolled into Ban Nong Chan village in Sa Kaeo province. Locals gathered in large numbers to back the soldiers at the tense Thai-Cambodian border.
The organizer behind this unusual event, Guntouch Pongpaiboonwet, also known online as Gun Jompalang, is popular for taking on issues of justice. Recently, he has been stirring up strong nationalist feelings.
The septic waste trucks entered the former refugee village, which sits about 500 metres from the border, at half past noon.
Col Chainarong Kasi from the Aranyaprathet Task Force, Pol Col Parichart Banjongpru (head of the 12th Border Patrol Police Unit), and officials from the Burapha Task Force greeted Gun Jompalang and his supporters.
They stopped the convoy from getting too close to the border to avoid making an already sensitive situation worse.
This display was a response to remarks made by a Cambodian influencer on 26 August, turning the event into a widely discussed incident.
Gun Jompalang, age 34, told the Bangkok Post, “My idea is to answer the Cambodians who pulled down the barbed wire and shouted at Thai soldiers by spraying them with sewage from these septic waste trucks. I am sure they won’t try to shout at Thai soldiers again.”
His post included an AI-generated picture showing a septic waste truck spraying waste toward a crowd of people standing behind a barrier, waving Cambodian flags.
Hours before he arrived, Thai supporters began to gather at Ban Nong Chan to show unity with military personnel stationed there. The atmosphere was charged with patriotism as the crowd sang the national anthem.
A ceremony took place to pay respects to 15 soldiers who died protecting the country from Cambodia.
Soldiers, police, and local officials worked together to prepare the area for the crowd. Temporary shelters and food stands were set up for those attending.
By ten in the morning, the crowd had grown, with many people having arrived since the previous afternoon. At the Thai-Cambodia checkpoint S.40, about 1,000 Thai citizens stood together, singing the national anthem through speakers so the sound reached across the border into Cambodia.
On the Cambodian side, credible sources said there were no signs of influencers or villagers trying to provoke Thai troops or residents that day.
The Cambodia-Thailand Conflict
The ongoing dispute between Thailand and Cambodia centres on the land around the Preah Vihear Temple, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that sits along their shared border. Built in the 11th century, this Hindu temple stands atop a cliff in the Dangrek Mountains. Arguments over the old border have kept this area tense for years.
In 1962, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) gave the temple itself to Cambodia, but a 4.6-square-kilometre patch of land nearby is still in dispute, keeping tensions alive.
Things worsened in 2008 when Cambodia listed Preah Vihear as a UNESCO site, which led to protests in Thailand. That same year, exchanges of gunfire broke out. From 2008 to 2011, fighting came and went, causing the deaths of both soldiers and civilians, while thousands of villagers had to leave their homes.
Both sides brought in troops, tanks, and heavy weapons. Political leaders in both countries often appealed to national pride, and the dispute became a tool for gaining support at home. While there have been diplomatic talks and the involvement of ASEAN and more ICJ decisions, problems remain unsettled.
The 2013 ruling by the ICJ affirmed Cambodia’s control over the temple and provided some clarity about the nearby land, but some border lines are still not clear. Ceasefires and meetings have helped calm things down at times, but both sides have yet to reach a lasting peace.
This conflict is built on older arguments, border decisions made during the colonial period and strong feelings of national identity. At the same time, economic interests and cooperation in the region have encouraged both countries to avoid open conflict.
In recent years, the situation has stayed mostly calm, with the focus shifting towards trade and tourism. Still, the unresolved border dispute means the potential for problems never fully disappears.
