Cambodia 20251222
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Headlines:
F-16s Bomb Schools, Diplomats Shrug
Great Powers Queue Up, Fighting Continues
Scam War Narrative Conveniently Emerges
Toxic Gas Claims Get Thai Denials
Angkor Still Drawing Crowds
Trapped Workers Hide, Wait, Hope
Returnees Come Home to Debt Collectors
Conflict Critics Get Two Years Each
Brussels Writes Check, Phnom Penh Promises Fix
Lao Kip Now Good in Phnom Penh
F-16s Bomb Schools, Diplomats Shrug
Fighting between Thais and Cambodians has killed more than 40 people and displaced three-quarters of a million civilians along the border since hostilities reignited. Thailand has sent in F-16 jets and artillery, with bombs landing up to 90 kilometers inside Cambodia - hitting bridges, homes, and forcing nearly 1,100 schools to close in seven provinces. Cambodia says there have been 18 civilian deaths and 78 injuries, and they claim that Thai forces are targeting civilian infrastructure on purpose; Thailand says the strikes are precise military operations against scam networks. It isn’t clear if the distinction matters to anyone now living in a displacement camp.
Read more: UN Human Rights (UN Statement), Khmer Times (Cambodian Perspective), Channel News Asia(Displacement), NHK (Casualties)
Great Powers Queue Up, Fighting Continues
China, the United States, and ASEAN are all scrambling to broker peace - Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met his Cambodian counterpart this week, the EU offered satellite imagery to monitor the situation, and the U.S. called for immediate withdrawal of heavy weapons and an end to the use/ deployment of landmines. A special ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ meeting came together in Kuala Lumpur to talk about de-escalation. In response to the diplomatic fury, Thailand says it won’t be pressured by foreign powers.
Read more: Khmer Times (China Mediation), Khmer Times (EU Support), Khmer Times (U.S. Position), Bernama(ASEAN Meeting)
Scam War Narrative Conveniently Emerges
Thailand has recast the border conflict as a “war against the scam army,” claiming to have neutralized at least six facilities connected to online fraud - a framing that happens to align nicely with U.S. and Chinese priorities. Thai officials say that airstrikes hit casino-linked compounds used by the Cambodian military for telecommunications fraud. Cambodia confirms some targets were associated with cybercrime, but says that civilian areas and unrelated military positions were also hit.
Read more: Business Times (Thai Narrative), Newsweek (U.S. Position), DW (Global Scam Networks)
Toxic Gas Claims Get Thai Denials
Cambodian soldiers are reportedly showing up in hospitals with respiratory problems, dizziness, and difficulty breathing after Thai air sorties. Cambodia’s Ministry of Defence is crying chemical weapons. Soldier Kun Yong reported breathing difficulties after an aircraft passed overhead; doctors in Banteay Meanchey province say they’ve seen numerous soldiers with similar symptoms but cannot confirm the cause without further testing. Thai Air Force officials say the accusations are “fake news.” Cambodia made similar claims about white phosphorus use in July; Thailand responded by saying that white phosphorus isn’t classified as a chemical weapon under international conventions.
Read more: Sight Magazine (Soldier Accounts), Misbar (Allegations)
Angkor Still Drawing Crowds
Angkor Wat is still pulling about 3,000 daily visitors as of mid-December, though Chinese and South Korean arrival numbers have dipped. Whether the conflict’s economic damage stays localized or spreads depends largely on how long the fighting drags on.
Read more: Khmer Times (Siem Reap), Camboja News (Economic Impact)
Trapped Workers Hide, Wait, Hope
More than 500,000 Cambodian migrant workers in Thailand find themselves unable to work, afraid of arrest, and cut off from home as border crossings slam shut. Workers like Sai are living in hiding, their ordinary lives suspended indefinitely. Labor rights activist Saing Ry reports confusion and anxiety as permit registrations are postponed without explanation - roughly a quarter of 407,000 registered migrants face permit expirations by March. The workers are asking for something modest: permission to exit Thailand through normal checkpoints rather than paying for expensive alternative routes. Thailand’s industries, meanwhile, are discovering how much they depend on the labor force they’ve just made invisible.
Read more: CGTN (Worker Situation), Khaosod English (Labor Rights)
Returnees Come Home to Debt Collectors
A survey of Cambodian migrant workers returning from Thailand found most (71%) are carrying debts averaging $5,500, and the vast majority (85%) can’t make payments. Only about a third got any help; most returned at their own expense. The National Bank is deferring loan payments until March for conflict-affected civilians, but the math hasn’t changed. Despite everything, more than half of the respondents say they plan to migrate again, mostly back to Thailand, because the alternatives at home are worse. ACLEDA Bank said it would provide up to $32 million in debt relief for wounded and fallen soldiers. It seems clear that planning for a recovery should start now, not after the dust has settled.
Read more: Khmer Times (Survey Results), Camboja News (Debt Details), Khmer Times (Government Response), Camboja News (Planning), Cambodia Investment Review (Bank Relief)
Conflict Critics Get Two Years Each
The Phnom Penh Municipal Court sentenced three opposition activists to two years in prison this week for incitement and insulting government leaders on their border conflict performance. Khun Thorngdy, 55, from the Move Forward Party; Keo Heang, 75, from the Nation Power Party; and Kol Kim, 30, a barber, were each fined about $750 on top of their prison terms. Thorngdy’s lawyer says reporting on the conflict isn’t incitement and plans to appeal. The three join 92 others currently imprisoned on similar charges that criminalize speech. Prime Minister Hun Manet, for his part, is asking journalists to verify information with official sources to prevent “misinformation.”
Read more: Khmer Times (Court Ruling), Khmer Times (Media Guidelines), IFEX (Press Freedom)
Brussels Writes Check, Phnom Penh Promises Fix
The EU sent more than $22 million to Cambodia this year for education, fisheries, and public finance reforms - funds that come with the usual conditions about transparency and effective tax systems. Economy Minister Aun Pornmoniroth said that Cambodia remained committed to budget credibility and macroeconomic stability, language that has appeared in bilateral communiqués for years. Trade with the EU hit $4.9 billion through October, up roughly an eighth from last year, suggesting the economic relationship is healthy enough regardless of the speed of reform.
Read more: Kiripost
Lao Kip Now Good in Phnom Penh
Laos tourists can now pay in Lao Lip at four and a half million Cambodian merchants using their mobile banking apps, thanks to Phase 2 of a cross-border QR payment system that came online this week. The hope is that frictionless payment transactions will increase tourism spending.
Read more: Travel and Tour World
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