Thailand Opens Timeline on Border Dispute With Cambodia
Thailand released a detailed timeline of border clashes with Cambodia, arguing the international community must examine who used force first rather than focusing only on Thailand's responses to attacks.
On September 3, Air Vice Marshal Praphas Saonjaidi, deputy commander of the Royal Thai Air Force and director of the Thailand-Cambodia Joint Information Center (JIC), released a chronological timeline of events, stating that the international community should not view only the moment Thailand responded to attacks. He emphasized that a true picture requires examining the full sequence of events, beginning with the question: "Who used force first?" rather than "How did Thailand respond?"
According to Thai government records, the conflict has involved multiple incidents: a clash at Bork checkpoint on May 28, 2025; Thai soldiers wounded by landmines on the border in July; and on July 24, 2025, Cambodian forces opened fire on Thai positions in the morning, leading to an escalation involving heavy weapons including BM-21 rocket launchers that struck Thai civilian areas, causing deaths and injuries. Further clashes occurred on December 7 and 8, 2025, with Cambodian forces firing on Thai military positions and again deploying BM-21s against Thai civilian territory.
Praphas dismissed Cambodia's accusation that Thailand was the aggressor, stating: "Allegations are not evidence." He called on all parties to examine verified evidence—photographs, videos, physical evidence, firing positions and directions, technical data, and satellite imagery—rather than relying on claims alone. He stressed the principle: "Evidence before narrative."
Regarding Thailand's use of F-16 fighter jets, Praphas said the question should not begin when F-16s appeared but rather what triggered their deployment. Thailand's position is that when faced with attacks and threats to military personnel and civilians, the country has the right to self-defense under international law, provided the use of force meets the principles of necessity, proportionality, and distinction between military targets and civilians. The goal is to end the military threat, not to harm civilians—a distinction between launching an attack and acting in self-defense.
Praphas concluded by emphasizing that Thailand does not wish for the peoples of the two nations to become enemies.
