We are not taking their word for it. We must investigate.
When asked about Cambodia’s Commander’s confirmation that Cambodian troops were not responsible disappearance of a Thai flag near the border
Lt. Gen. Adul Boonthamcharoen Defence Minister of Thailand
Thai Navy spokesman Rear Admiral Parach Rattanachaiyaphan recently stated that the Thai Royal Navy would respond with military force if Cambodian troops are found to have crossed into Thai territory after a Thai national flag disappeared from a flagpole in a strategic U-shaped border area in Ban Phak Kad. The Thai military’s aggressive public statements are not only absurd but also hypocritical. The Thai military fails to see the hypocrisy of demanding the sanctity of one’s border while simultaneously illegally occupying the allegedly offending party’s sovereign territory. The absurdity of this situation is compounded by the fact that the circumstance that gave rise to this feigned outrage by the Thai military was the belief that a single Thai flag has gone missing. Today, the Thai military is outraged by a missing flag.
YOUK CHHANG
Today, the Thai military is outraged by a missing flag. Tomorrow, perhaps there will be a missing tree or some other unique artifact of Thai sovereignty that could legitimize a large-scale armed conflict between nations?
Tomorrow, perhaps there will be a missing tree or some other unique artifact of Thai sovereignty that could legitimize a large-scale armed conflict between nations? While the Thai military investigates the suspicious circumstances of their mysterious missing flag, and explores the possibility of military force in response, the Cambodian government continues to exercise a notably more serious and mature stance on resolving this border dispute through peaceful, diplomatic means. We can only hope that seriousness, maturity, and peace will ultimately prevail over performative outrage in these circumstances.
YOUK CHHANG Director
Documentation Center of Cambodia
April 21, 2026
Published by Taing Rinith, KHMER TIMES
