(Phnom Penh): While the world continues to debate around diplomatic tables and justice for Cambodia remains unresolved, the sounds of machine-gun fire, artillery shells, and bombs dropped by Thai aircraft are penetrating ever deeper into Cambodian territory—without pause. The silence of the international community in the face of a rapidly expanding war has become the most painful sound of all for innocent Cambodian civilians, who are forced to live under constant fear every single moment.

On this very day, Thai military forces intensified their attacks, dropping bombs deep inside Cambodia—reaching areas nearly 100 kilometers from the border—including civilian communities near Phnom Sampeau in Banon District, Battambang Province, striking the Preah Vihear Temple area in Preah Vihear Province, deploying tanks and armored vehicles to assault and overrun Cambodian villages in O’Bei Chhun, O Chrov District, firing artillery into Poipet City in Banteay Meanchey Province, launching ground incursions into O’Smach in Oddor Meanchey Province, and attacking multiple other border regions. These operations were carried out with blatant disregard for international law.

Cambodian civilians have been killed and injured in large numbers, while the international community has yet to demonstrate any concrete measures to stop the bloodshed caused by this war of aggression carried out by Thailand.

How Long Must Justice Be Delayed While the War Continues to Kill?

The current Cambodia–Thailand conflict is not an ordinary dispute, nor an abstract political disagreement, nor a war of rhetoric. It is a war proven by real human lives lost—lives taken by bullets and bombs launched by invading Thai forces.

Entire villages along the border have been emptied. Homes and public buildings lie in ruins. The wounded are rushed to hospitals under emergency conditions, while schools have been forced to close entirely. Pagodas and ancient Khmer temples have been bombed and destroyed—including Ta Krabey Temple and Ta Moan Temple, and most gravely Preah Vihear Temple, a site inscribed as international cultural heritage.

These attacks are not only violations of Cambodia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity; they are clear and flagrant violations of international law and universal humanitarian principles.

How many more ancient Khmer temples must be destroyed before the world acknowledges Cambodia’s suffering as real?

How many more innocent civilians must die before the international community finally opens its eyes to the injustice Thailand is inflicting upon Cambodia?

Silence in the face of flowing blood and widespread destruction is not neutrality. It is a delay of justice—and that delay is being paid for with the lives of innocent Cambodian civilians.

The world must stop remaining silent in the face of Cambodia’s suffering. Such silence only allows injustice to continue—committed against the Cambodian people by Siamese aggressors.

Preah Vihear Temple: A Heritage of Humanity Under Attack

The bombing of Preah Vihear Temple is not merely the destruction of Cambodian property; it is a direct assault on the cultural heritage of all humanity. When a World Heritage site is attacked and the world chooses to look away—turning blind and deaf—the Cambodian people ask the international community:

How much more evidence is required before the world decides to enforce international law against Thailand’s aggression?

If international law truly has meaning, it must be enforced now and here—not after heritage has been destroyed and more human lives have been sacrificed.

The bombings near Phnom Sampeau, the continued shelling of civilian communities in Poipet, and Thailand’s military push to seize O’Smach all clearly demonstrate that Thailand’s aggression is no longer confined to the border. The war has expanded deep into densely populated communities, invading homes, destroying livelihoods, and killing unarmed Cambodian civilians—without any respect for international law or humanitarian principles.

The question Cambodian people ask the world in anguish is simple and direct:

How many more Cambodian communities must be destroyed, and how many more innocent lives must be lost, before the world recognizes and confronts the injustice and aggression being carried out by Thai military forces today?

An Appeal to the International Community

Cambodia does not seek revenge. Cambodia does not seek the escalation of war. What Cambodia seeks is real peace—peace backed by action, peace that supports those who respect international law, and peace that protects innocent civilians.

Cambodia urgently calls upon:
- The international community
- The United Nations
- Major powers and ASEAN partners

to apply real and effective pressure to:
- End Thailand’s aggression
- Stop the bombing of civilians and cultural heritage
- Guarantee a ceasefire that is genuine, verifiable, and enforceable

Conclusion

Cambodia is a small country, but the lives of the Cambodian people are not small. Khmer cultural heritage is irreplaceable and must never be destroyed by a war driven by distorted historical narratives and territorial greed.

This is a dispute that must be resolved through international law, not military force.

If the world continues to hesitate and remain silent, the war of aggression carried out by Thai military forces will continue to claim innocent Cambodian lives every day—without exception.

The international community is urged to open its heart and take concrete action to protect the Cambodian people—before justice arrives too late, when lives have already been lost and heritage has already been reduced to rubble.

Peace cannot wait any longer. The time for action is now.