(Phnom Penh): Casey Barnett, President of the American Chamber of Commerce in Cambodia, highlighted that as of 12:00 a.m., 22 December 2025, Thailand has conducted approximately 23 airstrikes on Cambodia, destroying military targets as well as civilian infrastructure, including primary schools, pagodas, and bridges.

The president wrote on his social media on Monday (Dec. 22) as follows:

"As of 12:00 a.m., 22 December 2025, Thailand has conducted approximately 23 airstrikes on Cambodia, destroying military targets as well as civilian infrastructure, including primary schools, pagodas, and bridges (each bombing is listed below). The intensity of the airstrikes has increased, with five airstrikes on 18 December and another four on 19 December. While most bombings are in rural towns and districts, there are also bombings in the densely populated city of Poipet. Both Thai and Cambodian maps show the bombings within Cambodian sovereign territory.

The Thai airstrikes are unanswered by Cambodia. Cambodia does not have its own fighter aircraft or any surface-to-air defenses. Cambodia has no choice but to absorb the bombings, which have resulted in internal displacement of 518,611 Cambodian families, children, and elderly who are now surviving in make-shift tents in camps. Thailand also reports 213,072 people displaced out of precaution from Cambodian artillery fire. It is the ethnic Khmer people on both sides of the border that are suffering. While it is well known that Cambodia is approximately 95% Khmer, the Thai provinces along the border are also populated by Khmer people, such as Surin province which is estimated to be at least 63% Khmer despite widespread language assimilation.

Thailand agreed to an unconditional ceasefire on 28 July 2025, brokered by US President Trump, who granted each country a relatively favorable reciprocal trade tariff of 19%. This was an economic win for Thai manufacturing; up until that point, Thailand had not offered the US any trade concessions. In contrast, Cambodia had already offered the US numerous concessions, including duty-free access for all American-made goods, as conveyed to the US Trade Representative on 16 July 2025, before the commencement of active military conflict between Thailand and Cambodia on 24 July 2025. The result is that Thailand was rewarded for bad behavior; Thailand’s invasion of Cambodian territory was brought to a temporary halt by being awarded a favorable US tariff.

President Trump oversaw the signing of the Kuala Lumpur Peace Accord by Thai Prime Minister Anutin and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet on 26 October 2025. It was the culmination of the ceasefire that had been in effect since 28 July. However, only two weeks later, on 10 November 2025, Thai Prime Minister Anutin announced that Thailand was suspending the peace accord, and the next day, on 11 November 2025, Anutin officially declared the peace accord over and “void”.

Anutin’s official reason for cancelling the peace accord was that four Thai soldiers were injured by a landmine on a jungle path in disputed territory while on patrol on 10 November 2025. While Thailand claimed the landmine was newly laid, it did not provide any evidence that it had been laid after the 26 October signing of the peace accord. Given that the Thai unilateral cancellation of the peace accord has resulted in numerous civilian and military deaths, widespread destruction, and nearly 700,000 displaced people, Anutin’s cancellation of the peace accord due to the injury of four soldiers appears to be an unreasonable overreaction.

Anutin’s call for war may is influenced by political calculus to stay in power. Anutin, leader of the Bhumjaithai Party (“Thai Pride Party”) became prime minister on 5 September 2025, with the help of the People’s Power Party. The People’s Power Party held 143 seats in parliament, compared to only 71 seats held by the Bhumjaithai Party.

The People’s Power Party called for a referendum on the constitution to shift power from the unelected, military-dominated Senate to the elected Parliament, which is directly elected by the Thai people. Anutin appears to have deceived the People’s Power Party by falsely agreeing to support a constitutional referendum, publicly endorsing it as late as 1 October 2025.

Anutin’s November 10 cancellation of the October 26 peace accord happened only after Anutin was aware that the House would be dissolved when parliament reconvened on 12 December and there would be early elections. On 5 November 2025, Anutin himself stated, “If we can’t win the political game, we’ll dissolve the House”. Dissolution of parliament and early elections became even more certain for Anutin on 9 November 2025, when the People’s Party demanded an extraordinary session for constitutional amendment, which was rejected by Anutin.

Anutin’s unilateral cancellation of the peace accord and escalation of fighting coincided with Anutin’s efforts to stay in power, a somewhat desperate task given that Anutin’s Bhunjaithai Party had only half the seats of its coalition part,y which was now inevitably ending that coalition. Adding to Anutin’s desperation is that his approval rating reached a low point during the disastrous Hat Yai floods in Southern Thailand from 21-24 November, during which his government faced widespread criticism for a slow and insufficient response; Reuters report shows that Anutin’s public support had slipped from 48% to only 23%. Together with weak economic growth of approximately 2% and a decline in tourist arrivals by 7%, Anutin’s chance at reelection was dwindling.

The commencement of war with Cambodia on 7 December 2025, strategically positioned Anutin for reelection ahead of the dissolution of parliament on 12 December 2025.
=FRESH NEWS