BANGKOK – Relations between Thailand and Cambodia have once again turned tense, with fresh clashes on several fronts making headlines. Trouble along the disputed border area, especially near the historic Preah Vihear temple, has intensified after a series of deadly landmine blasts.
At the same time, Thai authorities are ramping up action against cross-border online scam networks, leading to large-scale asset seizures and the targeting of high-profile suspects, including well-known Cambodian nationals.
These twin crises, a spike in military tension and a sweeping criminal investigation, now threaten to undo recent efforts to cool tempers. The fragile progress in Thai-Cambodian cooperation is at serious risk.
The uneasy truce that followed the fierce fighting of July 2025 did not last long. In late 2025, several landmine explosions on the Thai side of the border badly wounded Thai soldiers and shook public confidence in the peace process.
In response, Bangkok put the Kuala Lumpur Peace Accord, signed only weeks earlier, on hold. Officials argued that the situation had changed too much to carry on as planned.
The Worsening Landmine Dispute
The latest blast took place in Thailand’s Sisaket province and injured at least four Thai soldiers, one of them critically. The government of Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, along with the Royal Thai Army, has repeatedly said that the mines were newly laid by Cambodian forces.
Thai officers claim the devices, believed to be Soviet-made PMN-2 anti-personnel mines, were discovered in areas that Thai troops patrol regularly. In their view, this points to a fresh and deliberate act, in breach of both the ceasefire and the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention (Ottawa Convention), which Cambodia has signed.
Cambodia has strongly rejected these accusations. Officials in Phnom Penh say the blasts were caused by old landmines and other unexploded ordnance (UXO) left over from earlier conflicts. They argue that heavy rain, flooding, and soil movement can shift buried munitions into new areas.
This stark disagreement over the origin of the mines, whether they are remnants of past wars or newly deployed weapons, now lies at the heart of the growing Thailand–Cambodia border dispute.
Seeking outside support, Thailand has moved the landmine issue beyond the bilateral stage. Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow is preparing to invoke Article 8 of the Ottawa Convention. This article allows a member state to call for an impartial, international fact-finding mission.
If such a mission goes ahead, it would be a first under this treaty. Its findings could shape not only the future of Thai–Cambodian relations, but also how the world views the Ottawa Convention in practice.
If investigators confirm that new mines were laid, Cambodia could face serious damage to its reputation, especially on humanitarian issues and its role in global disarmament efforts.
The Cambodian Prisoners
Tension around the Cambodian prisoners has become tightly linked to the collapse of the peace deal. After the July clashes, Thai forces detained 18 Cambodian soldiers who, according to Thai officials, crossed into Thai territory.
These detainees were described as prisoners of war and held under international standards. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) visited them, which helped provide some reassurance about their treatment.
The Kuala Lumpur Peace Accord included a clear plan for their return to Cambodia. However, after the latest landmine incident in November, Thailand abruptly suspended this process.
Defence Minister Natthaphon Narkphanit confirmed that the repatriation was on hold. He linked the decision to what he described as Cambodia’s lack of honesty regarding the landmine issue. This move has caused strong anger in Phnom Penh. Cambodian officials insist the prisoners must be released under the original ceasefire terms, which they argue still apply, even if implementation is delayed.
The handling of these Cambodian prisoners has now become a major point of friction, both politically and in the media, on both sides of the border.
Asset Seizures and the Cyber Scam Crackdown
Alongside the border tensions, Thai authorities have launched a sweeping campaign against transnational crime networks, with a focus on large online scam operations based in or around the border region. These scams often link to broader criminal activities and rely on weak law enforcement in remote areas.
Thai agencies have reported the seizure of more than 300 million dollars in assets, including shares in leading regional energy firms. They have also issued arrest warrants for 42 suspects.
The crackdown is aimed at those believed to run major scam centres in parts of Southeast Asia. Many of these centres operate from guarded compounds and are accused of using trafficked workers who are forced into criminal work through threats and abuse.
Among the most prominent names mentioned are Chinese-Cambodian tycoon Chen Zhi, who leads the U.S.-sanctioned Prince Group, and Cambodian businessmen Kok An and Yim Leak. Thai investigators, including the Anti-Money Laundering Office, say they have traced links between these individuals and networks involved in “online fraud, human trafficking, and money-laundering”.
So far, 29 people have been arrested, but several top suspects, including Chen Zhi, remain on the run. The asset seizures, worth over 10 billion baht, show the size of the financial system behind these scams. They also highlight Thailand’s resolve to break these networks, an effort that depends on at least some level of cooperation from neighbouring countries.
Thailand–Cambodia Border Dispute
Behind the latest clashes lies a much older problem, the unresolved Thailand–Cambodia border dispute. The disagreement stems from colonial-era maps and different readings of treaties, especially those dealing with the watershed in the Dangrek Mountains.
The 11th-century Preah Vihear temple is at the centre of this dispute. In 1962, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that the temple itself belongs to Cambodia. However, the ruling did not settle the exact boundary of the land around the temple.
This lack of clarity has kept tensions alive for decades. Both countries see value in the surrounding area, not just for culture and history, but also for security and trade.
The July 2025 fighting marked a renewed flare-up of this old conflict. The clash was fuelled by nationalist sentiment, domestic politics, and economic interests tied to control of the border region.
The current deadlock, shaped by the dispute over landmines, the stalled return of the Cambodian prisoners, and the sensitive crackdown on cross-border crime involving powerful Cambodian nationals, shows how many layers this relationship has.
With the Kuala Lumpur peace deal suspended, both sides face a difficult choice. Much now rests on whether Thailand’s appeal under the Ottawa Convention goes ahead and what investigators find on the ground.
The two governments will need high-level talks and steady communication if they want to prevent further damage to security and to people living along the Thailand–Cambodia border. The continuing focus on asset seizures and the fight against online scams adds another pressure point, forcing both Bangkok and Phnom Penh to confront criminal networks that have thrived in poorly controlled frontier areas.
How they handle these issues in the coming months will shape not only the border but also trust between the two countries for years to come.
