Sar Mory

The temperature is now 35°C or 95°F🔥As of 22 Feb, 66,628 Cambodian villagers, mostly women and children, remain displaced, with no homes or land to return to due to #ThaiTroops occupying their villages. My 4th visit to the camps supporting humanitarian response efforts with NGOs

Very excellent work from @jacobincambodia.... hope to see u to do more...

Thai soldiers have mental problem

WWII: when Thailand joined the Japanese Thailand, known until 1939 as the Kingdom of Siam, pursued an expansionist policy during the early stages of World War II, driven by nationalist ambitions to reclaim historical territories. This began with the Franco-Thai War in late 1940, escalating into invasions of French Indochina by Thai forces in early 1941. France, weakened by its conflicts in Europe, signed a treaty mediated by Japan in mid-1941, ceding significant territories to Thailand, where actually is the Cambodia and Laos. Just months later, in December 1941, Japan invaded Thailand while demanding passage to attack British-held regions. Thai forces resisted briefly, but soon capitulated to avoid national devastation. Thailand then allied with Japan, granting military access and declaring war on the Allies in early 1942, formally joining the Axis powers. As part of the alliance, Thailand supported Japanese campaigns in neighboring areas, with Thai troops invading Burma in mid-1942 and annexing parts of its territories. They also annexed northern states in Malaya in 1943, while aiding Japanese operations in Burma through 1945. An attempted Thai incursion into China's border regions in 1943 was repelled. Domestically, Thailand maintained some autonomy during its Axis alignment, but an underground resistance movement: the Free Thai, emerged from 1942, conducting espionage and sabotage with Allied support, growing significantly and contributing to a government change by mid-1944. With Japan's surrender in 1945, Thailand renounced its alliances and returned all annexed lands by 1946, facing minimal repercussions beyond supplying rice shipments to affected areas. The internal resistance efforts helped portray Thailand as a coerced participant rather than a willing Axis ally. This outcome contrasted sharply with Finland's, which allied with Germany to reclaim lost territories during its 1941–1944 war against the Soviets. Defeated, Finland ceded more land and paid heavy reparations, lacking th same treatment given for Thailand. In this way, the "Land of Smiles" joined other former kingdoms and empires that entangled themselves in wars while pursuing dreams of restoring past glories.

What appear to be Thai tanks firing indiscriminately into a civilian area, with soldiers jeering as they fire on homes, comes across as a game. It is unclear what resistance is present here, but from this video, invading Thai forces are seen shelling and destroying the homes of Cambodian civilians in the Bung Trakuon area of Banteay Meanchey Province.

A civilian vehicle was struck by shrapnel from Thai shelling on the outskirts of Poipet this morning. Passengers inside were injured. This is what the Thai military calls “collateral damage.”

This is disgraceful. Thai social media influencer Gun Jompalaing is circulating images of himself holding torn Cambodian soldier patches and presenting them as a joke. In the context of an active conflict, this comes across as mocking the deaths of Cambodian soldiers. Turning symbols tied to loss of life into content for attention is deeply disrespectful. It fuels hatred, hardens public opinion, and pushes the situation further away from restraint or de-escalation. This behavior should be clearly and publicly condemned by Thai authorities.

I’ve been sharing news and commentary about the Cambodia–Thailand conflict, and I want to be transparent about how I’m approaching it. I assume misinformation exists on both sides. I’m sure I’ve shared some things that later turn out to be incomplete or wrong, because none of us has full visibility from a distance. A lot of what circulates comes from people near the front lines, local outlets, and official statements. Even international media often relies on those same networks, with limited independent access. What I do feel confident about is the human cost. There is real destruction in Cambodia, needless civilian deaths, and massive displacement. There have also been military losses on both sides, even if the numbers and details are still unclear. Thailand has taken losses too, including lives, property damage, and displacement. The scale is staggering, with reporting suggesting the combined displacement may be approaching one million people. That number should be enough to stop anyone from treating this as a clean story with clean heroes. I also struggle with the proportionality of what we’re seeing. Cambodia is the smaller country, and the force being used looks excessive against the stated goals. When civilian areas are hit, or when there are reports of homes being searched and property taken, or pillaged, it’s hard not to see a pattern of intimidation rather than restraint. From where I sit, it reads like bullying, and it makes me doubt that peace is the priority. On the landmine issue, I don’t know what to believe. Cambodia says it’s staged, Thailand says it’s proof of wrongdoing. Both claims carry obvious incentives. Planting new mines in areas Thai forces patrol would be reckless. At the same time, the incident was quickly used to justify a fresh round of fighting, and the response appears disproportionate to the trigger. That’s my opinion, and I’m holding it loosely because the facts are still contested. It’s also worth saying plainly that Thailand pushes its own narrative, just as Cambodia does. If misinformation is the concern, it can’t be treated as a one-sided problem. On a personal level, I care about the loss on both sides. I care about civilians, families, and children who end up trapped between decisions made far above them. I want lasting peace, even if that feels increasingly distant right now. The “scam compounds” narrative is another layer that complicates things. Anyone who’s followed me knows I’ve been outspoken about scam operations and trafficking in Cambodia and the region. The scale is serious, it’s tied to corruption and impunity, and it’s not abstract to me. The more I post about it, the more messages I get from desperate people trying to get out. Some participants are willing offenders, many are victims, and that mix is part of what makes the system so hard to confront. When Thailand says certain targets are tied to scam operations, alongside claims of military use, it becomes difficult to sort fact from justification. Cambodian officials sometimes deny both the military claim and the scam claim. Thailand’s choice of targets can look strategic, and it can also look like narrative-building. I can’t pretend I know which is true in every case. Finally, I live in Cambodia and have for 15 years. I’m not neutral, and I won’t pretend to be. I’m biased toward the country I’ve built a life in, and toward the people I know here. At the same time, I try to separate what I believe is factual from what is clearly opinion, and I try to keep my commentary grounded. I’m also operating in a place where speech has limits. Praise aligned with government messaging is safe. Public criticism can be interpreted as incitement or “causing unrest,” and that reality shapes what people can say openly. At the end of the day, my position is simple. I want this to stop. I want civilians protected. I want Thailand and Cambodia to step back from escalation and find a path to real stability, not just messaging wins.

In Ta Lei Village, Thai forces fired 33 rounds of 155 mm artillery between 7:00 and 10:50 this morning. One Cambodian civilian was killed. Seven others were injured, according to Cambodia’s Ministry of National Defence. Thailand keeps insisting it only targets military positions. Dropping heavy artillery into a civilian village directly contradicts that claim. If you are that confident and proud of the “military targets only” narrative, hitting civilians like this does not just undermine it, it makes it look foolish.

Three different types of Thai fighter jets have now been used against a country with no air force. No air defense capability. No fighter jets. No combat aircraft. This is not air parity or deterrence. It is the repeated use of advanced air power against a state with no ability to respond in the air.

Not only is the Thai Air Force dropping bombs in Battambang today, strikes are also hitting O’Chrov District, injuring this young girl. This follows remarks by Anutin Charnvirakul, who said the aim of Thailand’s military action was “to disable Cambodia’s military capability for a long time.” Placed alongside airstrikes deep inside Cambodia and civilian injuries, that statement is not abstract. It describes intent, and it matches what is now happening on the ground.

Foreign embassies like #Australia, #France in #Cambodia urge #Thailand & Cambodia to "engage in frank negotiations" at General Border Committee meeting to achieve lasting conflict resolution. Reports of new #Thai attacks Dec 24 send school children fleeing facebook.com/share/v/171SXG…

At 9:40 a.m., the Thai military fired 1 shell into a densely populated civilian residential area in Kon Trie, O’ Chrov district, close to National Road No.5, Banteay Meanchey province. The attack caused injuries to 2 civilians. 🇹🇭🇰🇭‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️

BREAKING: Cambodia’s Defense Ministry said this morning that Thai T-50 fighter jet dropped four bombs near Phnom Sampov, a popular tourist destination in Banon district, Battambang province.

Thailand’s aggressive approach and the level of force used against Cambodia suggest this goes far beyond a narrow claim of border defense and points to deeper objectives beneath the surface. The response is disproportionate, and that is increasingly visible. It does little to strengthen how Thailand’s narrative is perceived.

Thai troops reportedly fired rifles toward civilian residential buildings in Poipet this morning, triggering chaos on the ground. Some of the structures appear consistent with scam compounds.

What’s Thailand’s end goal here? This goes far beyond border protection. Is destroying Cambodian infrastructure the objective?

ชวนคนไทยออกมาแสดงจุดยืนอีกครั้ง นำภาพนี้ไปโพสต์ในบัญชีตนเองทุกแพลทฟอร์มเพื่อบอกว่า เราต่อต้านการเหยียดเชื้อชาติ เราไม่เลือกปฏิบัติ #ThaiAgainstRacism #NoWarThaiCambodia

นำภาพนี้ไปลงหลายแพลทฟอร์มแล้วได้รับความคิดเห็นสนับสนุนสันติภาพจากทั้งชาวไทยและชาวกัมพูชาเยอะอย่างไม่น่าเชื่อมากๆ (ส่วนใหญ่น่าจะเป็นรุ่นเยาวชน) 🥹 restore faith in humanity มากๆ เรานึกว่าจะไม่ได้เห็นบรรยากาศแบบนี้อีกต่อไปในชีวิตซะแล้ว ขอบคุณทุกคนมากๆเลย

At 10:08 am on December 15, Thai military forces used F-16 aircraft to drop two bombs in the areas of Chong Kal District and Srei Snam District, Siem Reap Province, near refugee camps, penetrating more than 100 kilometers into Cambodian territory. This video shows students at a school in Srei Snam District running away after Thai forces dropped bombs near their school. នៅម៉ោង ១០:០៨នាទី ថ្ងៃទី១៥ ធ្នូ នេះ យោធាថៃបានប្រើប្រាស់ យន្តហោះ F-16 ទម្លាក់ ២គ្រាប់នៅភូមិសាស្ត្រស្រុកចុងកាល និងស្រុកស្រីស្នំ ខេត្តសៀមរាប ក្បែរជំរុំជនភៀសសឹក និងចូលជ្រៅជាង ១០០គីឡូម៉ែត្រក្នុងទឹកដីកម្ពុជា។ ​ រូបវីដេអូនេះ ជាសិស្សានុសិស្សនៅសាលាក្នុងស្រុកស្រីស្នឱដែលរត់ចេញក្រោយយោធាថៃបានទម្លាក់គ្រាប់ក្បែរសាលាពួកគេ។