(Phnom Penh): For months, the world treated the border conflict as "mutual blame." Now, a major investigation by The New York Editorial reveals the hard truth: While Cambodia may have lit the match, Thailand burned down the neighborhood.

The report, backed by international data, exposes how a border dispute was turned into an illegal war to win an election in Bangkok.

Key findings that every Cambodian needs to know:

Disproportionate Force: When a landmine injured one soldier, Thailand responded with F-16 fighter jets and airstrikes. The report calls this "wildly disproportionate."

Illegal Weapons: The investigation confirms Thailand used cluster munitions—weapons banned by most of the world—which tragically took the life of 10-year-old Sern Sovann in Preah Vihear.

Psychological Warfare: The report documents how Thai forces blasted "wailing ghost sounds" and funeral music at 3:00 a.m. into Cambodian villages to terrorize sleeping children.

Political Games: The evidence suggests the Thai government used the border and Cambodian lives as a campaign strategy to win their election.

The Hard Truth:
The report is fair—it does not let Cambodia off the hook. It highlights how the scam compounds and political decisions in Phnom Penh created the conditions for this crisis.

But the conclusion is clear: Creating a crisis is bad. Waging an illegal war against civilians is worse.

As of today, nearly 98,000 of Cambodian people are still displaced.

This article was originally published on The New York Editorial.
=FRESH NEWS