Thailand - July 2025

Armed conflict broke out on the Cambodia-Thailand border on 24 July, killing at least 38 people (including at least 13 civilians), wounding over 200, and displacing at least 300,000 on both sides of the border. The violence broke out after civilians and soldiers from both Cambodia and Thailand engaged in minor altercations and clashes over temples in a long-contested border region. These clashes strained diplomatic tensions as well, and violence continued until acting Thai Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet agreed to an unconditional ceasefire on 28 July. No ceasefire violations have been independently confirmed since. The violence is the worst between the two countries since 40 soldiers and civilians died in armed clashes over the same contested temples and borders between 2011 and 2013.

Sources: Associated Press, The Diplomat, The Guardian, Human Rights Watch

On 1 July, Thailand’s Constitutional Court suspended Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra from office due to her conduct revealed in a leaked phone call with former Cambodian Senate President Hun Sen aimed at diffusing ongoing border dispute with Cambodia. Critics highlighted her alleged deference toward Hun Sen, alongside her criticism of a Thai army commander. The petition, launched by 36 senators, accuses Paetongtarn of ‘violating the constitution and breaching ethical standards.’ As a result of the leak, the conservative Bhumjaithai Party withdrew from the government’s ruling coalition in June, leaving it with a slim majority. Moreover, the National Anti-Corruption Commission launched a separate investigation into the matter on 14 July–a ruling in which could lead to a lifetime ban from politics, with a ruling expected by December 2025. Paetongtarn was suspended from her prime ministerial duties until the Court reached a verdict in the ethics probe, but remained in cabinet. Deputy Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai assumed the role of acting prime minister. 

Sources: The Bangkok Post, The Diplomat, Al Jazeera