Opinion: When leadership lacks direction: Thailand’s baseless attacks on Cambodia reveal its deeper crisis
Opinion: When leadership lacks direction: Thailand’s baseless attacks on Cambodia reveal its deeper crisis
The Phnom Penhpost: In a recent and reckless statement, the Spokesman of the Thai Prime Minister’s Office claimed that protest leaders had “highlighted” the so-called “interference” of a Cambodian leader in Thai affairs, even suggesting that Cambodia had once “threatened to launch a missile at Bangkok”. This assertion is not only unfounded — it is dangerously absurd and diplomatically irresponsible.
Such wild accusations, echoing street protest rhetoric rather than grounded in fact or foreign policy, raise serious questions: Who is really leading Thailand right now? And more importantly, who is setting its tone for international diplomacy — protest mobs, spokesmen or the Prime Minister?
Cambodia has always chosen peace and principles
Cambodia, under both former and current leadership, has adhered to the principles of non-interference, peaceful coexistence and ASEAN solidarity. It is not Cambodia that has closed borders, cut off electricity or internet, or violated cross-border trade norms — it is Thailand. Cambodia has consistently responded with patience and responsibility, even when Thai actions have hurt border communities and disrupted bilateral trade.
Despite this, Thailand’s leadership continues to scapegoat Cambodia for its own inability to govern effectively.
Paetongtarn Shinawatra: A prime minister who leads but cannot govern
Thailand’s current prime minister, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, is rapidly earning a reputation not as a stateswoman, but as a figurehead — installed by political legacy, navigating crisis by denial and distraction. She may hold the title of prime minister, but her inability to control her government’s narrative, unify a deeply divided society or craft coherent regional diplomacy shows she leads without governing.
Even her own spokesman is now reduced to weaponising protester speeches against a neighbouring country instead of offering policy clarity or accountability. Is this leadership — or desperation?
While Cambodia continues to modernise, stabilise and act constructively within ASEAN and the wider region, Thailand’s leadership appears trapped in a cycle of deflection, denial and division.
Focus on governing, not blaming
Thailand is facing growing unrest, economic discontent and institutional paralysis. The last thing its people need is a government focused on foreign scapegoats. The Thai Prime Minister’s Office should be working to unite its country and govern effectively — not parroting baseless accusations that only inflame tensions with its neighbours.
Cambodia will not accept being a punching bag for Thai political theatre. Nor will we allow fictional threats to overshadow real issues — like the Thai government’s failure to manage its own internal divisions, its economy or its international credibility.
When history is written, it will not be the fabricated missile claims or protest slogans that stand the test of time. It will be the record of which leaders stood for facts, for diplomacy and for responsibility. Cambodia knows where it stands — in facts, in peace and in principle. The question remains: Does Thailand’s leadership know where it’s going?
Roth Santepheap is a geopolitical analyst based in Phnom Penh. The views and opinions expressed are his own.
