Description: Thailand and Cambodia have prolonged their negotiations over the disputed border demarcations after Cambodia threatened to ban Thai food imports if the latter didn’t quickly lift border restrictions. The border dispute severely escalated on 28 May when gunfire erupted between border patrols from both countries and left one Cambodian soldier dead. Leaders from the government and military forces have announced their intent to resolve the dispute through the already established bilateral mechanism, however, the Cambodian State Secretariat of Border Affairs recently stated they intent on abandoning the mechanism. Cambodia also stated the country would try and pursue the case through the International Court of Justice which Thailand doesn’t recognize.
Impact: Despite recent diplomatic reassurances from both countries towards a rapid solution to the border dispute, both governments continue to engage in war of words which constantly puts a potential resolution at risk of faltering. The postponement of negotiations through the bilateral communication mechanism and the constant threats issued by the governing establishments from both countries indicates that Thailand and Cambodia are slowly moving towards collision. The southeast Asian region is already significantly destabilized by the civil war in Myanmar, coupled with the constant Chinese naval presence in the Indo – Pacific and the political pressure on both governments could cause substantiative upsurges in tensions. Both governments are still firmly dedicated towards resolving the dispute despite public navigation of narrative although constant adversarial pressure could form wartime optics on both sides.