Thailand’s Cabinet, the Cambodian Border Dispute, and the Echoes of the Franco-Thai War
In June 2025, Thailand’s civilian-led government under Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra finds itself navigating one of the most delicate diplomatic crises in recent memory: a re-escalation of the long-standing border dispute with Cambodia. The current standoff, which flared after a Cambodian soldier was killed in a disputed zone near the Emerald Triangle in Isaan, has reignited nationalist sentiment on both sides and drawn uncomfortable parallels with the region’s colonial past. The Thai cabinet, composed of a coalition that includes technocrats, military veterans, and progressive voices, has been under pressure to respond firmly yet diplomatically. Paetongtarn, daughter of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, has emphasized bilateral mechanisms and de-escalation, but her administration has also imposed border restrictions and, perhaps unwisely at least given Thailand's UN Human Rights Council status and OECD bid, signalled that Thailand will not accept Cambodia’s ...