US stance on Cambodia a betrayal
samlot chit
The United States is making inroads into Cambodia and developing warmer relations. News reports say Cambodia might let the US military use its naval base in Sihanoukville as part of Washington's geopolitical strategy to contain China.
US stance on Cambodia a betrayal
PUBLISHED : 17 Nov 2025 at 01:01:https://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/opinion/3138610/us-stance-on-cambodia-a-betrayal
NEWSPAPER SECTION: News
WRITER: Veera Prateepchaikul
Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul inspects PMN-2 mines recovered from the field during a briefing on border security at the 11th Infantry Battalion headquarters at Phu Makua, Kantharalak district, Si Sa Ket, on Nov 11. GOVERNMENT HOUSEThere is an ancient proverb which says: "The enemy of my enemy is my friend." If so, what if my friend is a friend of my enemy? Can he still be trusted as my friend, or has he turned into an enemy?
These disturbing questions emerged in my mind when the administration of US President Donald Trump suspended tariff talks with Thailand until Thailand agrees to revive the Joint Declaration with Cambodia, signed in Kuala Lumpur and witnessed by Mr Trump and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on Oct 26.
In an emotional outburst following a landmine explosion near the common border in Kantharalak district of Si Sa Ket, in which four Thai soldiers were injured, including one who had his leg blown off, Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul on Nov 12 announced a "tearing down" -- a suspension -- of the Joint Declaration.
The Foreign Affairs Ministry then made three demands to Cambodia: An apology for the violent incident, an investigation into the incident with legal action against the perpetrators and assurance that similar incidents won't happen again.
The US deputy trade representative notified Thailand on Friday night about the suspension of tariff talks. Later, the government tried to play down the news, saying the tariff negotiation would continue separately from the ceasefire talks.
No matter what the facts are, the United States' latest stance in the Thai–Cambodia conflict has dealt a blow to Thailand, a long-time close ally of the US.
It also represents a small diplomatic victory for Cambodia, which will embolden the Hun Sen–Hun Manet regime to defy Thailand and, probably, carry on with Cambodia's provocative acts along the common border.
Instead of complying with Thailand's three-point demand following the latest landmine explosion (the Asean Observer Teams (AOT) in Thailand and Cambodia confirmed the landmine was freshly-planted), Cambodia returned to its same old tricks by scripting a shooting incident in Ban Nong Ya Kaew in Sa Kaeo province to divert attention.
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet immediately called Mr Trump.
What information -- or even lies -- did he tell Mr Trump? We don't know. But the latest US stance seems to suggest that Mr Trump has an ear for Cambodia for reasons that geopolitics experts here fully know.
Cambodia accused Thailand of provoking the shooting, which, it claimed, killed one Cambodian civilian and injured three others.
The AOT -- seemingly the most trusted monitoring team from the regional bloc -- was taken to a hospital in Cambodia, where the injured were treated for a photo-op and interview, but has yet to find the dead civilian which Cambodian media had mentioned.
Given the gravity of the landmine incident, a brazen violation of the Joint Declaration, Thailand's three-point demand and temporary suspension of the peace deal were justified.
They were intended to pressure Cambodia to show genuine sincerity in complying with the commitments it made under the Joint Declaration.
Hence, it is incomprehensible that the Trump administration chose to pick on Thailand in favour of Cambodia by suspending the tariff talks -- an issue which has nothing to do with the border conflict between Thailand and Cambodia.
Such an unfair decision not only upsets the Thai government but also betrays the trust of the Thai people, who have always believed that the US is a trusted ally of Thailand and vice versa.
Has Thailand become a casualty of the "America First" policy of President Trump? Such a rhetorical question might be valid.
The United States is making inroads into Cambodia and developing warmer relations. News reports say Cambodia might let the US military use its naval base in Sihanoukville as part of Washington's geopolitical strategy to contain China.
There is no need at all for the US to rush to embrace Cambodia. Washington should have at least allowed Thailand's suspension of the peace deal to do its work first.
It is unfair to vent anger on our ally. The reaction of the Anutin administration is also worthy of blame.
Indeed, the government should not quickly accept the US' demand to revive the Joint Declaration without asking the US to demand that the Cambodian government show reciprocal commitments to the declaration.
Moreover, the government must reiterate its right to take whatever actions deemed necessary to protect Thailand's sovereignty and the safety of its people and troops amid Cambodia's provocative acts.
Prime Minister Anutin should appear on TV to inform the Thai people of what and how his government plans to deal with Cambodia, in light of the US' apparent shift in favour of Cambodia.
The US stance comes despite the worldwide condemnation of Cambodia as a haven of transnational scam operations, with the support of the Hun family, which has amassed dirty money from scam operations, money laundering and human trafficking.
The crackdown on scam activities in Cambodia is a farce at best, as all of the scammers who have been arrested are just the small fry.
The alleged big fish, Cambodian tycoon Chen Zhi, the chairman of Prince Holding Group, who is Hun Sen's adviser, remains unpunished.
The scam buildings and forced labour camps, where scammers from multiple countries are being forced to prey on victims around the world, are still functional, unlike the scam buildings in the KK Park scam city in Myanmar, which have been demolished by the Myanmar government forces.
The sad tale of a 26-year-old Thai woman who was tortured to death by her scam handler, and whose remains were left at a temple in Poipet township in Cambodia, serves as a grim reminder of the "hell on earth" for unwilling scammers in scam centres in Cambodia.
Fortunately, the woman's remains were saved from being cremated and will be sent back to her family in Phang-nga.
The South Korean government, however, did not sit idly when it learned that one of its students died after being tortured in one of the hundreds of scam centres scattered across Cambodia.
Seoul sent officials to Cambodia to help Koreans who were duped into working there and arrest those who voluntarily went there for fat financial returns.
Of course, the South Korean government has the leverage to do just that, and Cambodia dares not resist.
How the Thai government will respond to the tragic death of the poor woman from Phang-nga province is yet to be seen.
She should not have died a lonely death, but now at least her death should not be in vain.
Veera Prateepchaikul is a former editor of the 'Bangkok Post'.