The election in Thailand is an important factor influencing the border conflict, but it would be foolish to say that it is the exclusive driver of or impetus for the conflict. In the reverse, the border conflict is not the exclusive determinant in the outcome of any Thai election. In sum, the border conflict is both a driver and a consequence of the internal struggle between different Thai political factions and perspectives on the future of Thailand, and Cambodia needs to adopt a strategy that is multi-faceted—exercising mature leadership and firm pressure across all domains of governance, from political and diplomatic to economic, military and society-culture.
The Thai want to portray this conflict as a petty dispute that is largely precipitated by Cambodia, citing examples of landmines, skirmishes and other incidents that they see as threatening to their national security. We would be mindful to point out that the Thai military is currently occupying 14 different areas of Cambodia that are in violation of at least the spirit of the ceasefire agreement. A more sober minded perspective of this conflict is it is an internal Thai struggle that has invited the leveraging of long simmering historical tensions between Cambodia to generate national unity behind a political/ideo- logical agenda.
The Thai election, therefore, is a milestone in this struggle but, unfortunately, it will not be a conclusion to it-it is only a new opportunity to reset relations. Make no mistake: multigenerational, international disputes over borders and history are not resolved by a single event like an election or even a peace agreement. Cambodia must be prepared with a multi- dimensional strategy that is also multigenerational.
YOUK CHHANG
Director, Documentation Center of Cambodia
February 9, 2026
