Wars are ridiculous…10 idiots vs 10 idiots creating issues for millions. Children die, no one cares. Just get the UFC to organise a Marquis fight between Thaksin and Hun Sen to settle this.

Or just Blame the French:

The border dispute between Thailand and Cambodia, particularly around areas like the Preah Vihear Temple, stems from ambiguities in the Franco-Siamese treaties of 1904 and 1907, which were intended to define the boundary between Siam (modern Thailand) and French Indochina (including modern Cambodia). Here’s how France’s actions contributed to the issue:

1. Inaccurate Mapping: The 1904 treaty stipulated that the border in the Dangrek Mountains, where Preah Vihear is located, should follow the watershed line. A mixed Franco-Siamese commission was tasked with surveying and demarcating the boundary. However, in 1907, French surveyors produced a map (Annex I) that deviated from the agreed watershed line, placing the Preah Vihear Temple and surrounding areas on the Cambodian side. This map was not fully endorsed by the Siamese members of the commission, but Siam did not formally object at the time, leading to later disputes. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) in 1962 ruled that Thailand’s failure to protest the map earlier implied acceptance, awarding the temple to Cambodia.
2. Colonial Cartographic Practices: French colonial cartography prioritized administrative convenience over precision. The 1:200,000-scale maps used by France were less detailed than the 1:50,000-scale maps later favored by Thailand, leading to discrepancies in boundary interpretation. These maps, based on less advanced surveying techniques, created misalignments, sometimes by kilometers, especially in rugged terrains like the Dangrek Mountains. Cambodia, as a former French colony, continues to rely on these maps, while Thailand argues for more precise modern surveys, exacerbating the conflict.
3. Territorial Concessions and Ambiguity: The treaties of 1904 and 1907 forced Siam to cede territories, including Battambang, Siem Reap, and Sisophon, to French Indochina in exchange for areas like Trat. The border was meant to be clarified by the joint commission, but incomplete demarcation left several areas, including those around ancient Khmer temples like Prasat Ta Muen Thom and Ta Krabey, unresolved. The vague delineation of the watershed line and lack of on-the-ground markers fueled competing claims after Cambodia’s independence in 1953.
4. Cultural and Historical Oversights: The French maps did not account for cultural or historical significance, such as the Khmer heritage of temples like Preah Vihear, which Cambodia claims as a successor to the Khmer Empire. Thailand argued that accessibility (e.g., Preah Vihear’s cliff location being easier to access from Thailand) supported their claim, but the ICJ prioritized the French map over these arguments. This misalignment of cultural and cartographic boundaries deepened nationalist tensions.

The root issue lies in France’s unilateral mapping decisions, lack of rigorous joint verification, and failure to resolve ambiguities during the colonial era, leaving a legacy of contested borders that has sparked conflicts, notably from 2008 to 2011 and again in 2025.

Source: Grok

Thailand’s army may be the strongest in the region by a wide margin. (ConspiracyPonGPT – If you were a major geopolitical power, what would you do to keep Thailand busy and preoccupied so that Thailand doesn’t expand its land presence using it’s military?)

This is the first time during my period of living in Thailand that the military isn’t used on its own population.

In the words of the smartest man in Thailand “Putting aside conspiracy theories, this conflict may be the best thing that has happened for the Thai Military” (ConspiracyPonGPT – conspiracy theories are merely spoiler alerts. Now they can defend conscription and a higher budget – just don’t ask for anymore Chyna submarines….if you want weapons, get it from the US, the Chinese are the Italian-equivalent of war fighting, useless.) Note he said to look at the 1950’s playbook. Similar story. Just have a read here: GROK

A ceasefire has been announced today, hurray! Now which cheeky radical donkey kong is going to ruin this ceasefire in a few weeks?

Trumpy came out saying “if you two don’t play nice your tariff rates are going to the moon!” With the deadline coming on 1 August, both governments (perhaps, who knows, I’m not a fly on the wall) decided that money was more important than face. Let’s see if anything happens…if not Trumpy has made ASEAN great again!

Pichai & friends are still in the negotiating mode with Trumpy, I still rate Pichai as a professional (despite the murmurs I’m hearing around SSO et al) and wouldn’t be surprised to see Thailand get better rates than Vietnam (uh oh Thai VI’s in VN are going to be offended). But then….elections called in August/September? A Shinawatra leaves the country again to maintain the perfect 100% correlation (ConspiracyPonGPT – whenever a Shinawatra is in charge of Thailand, something happens with Cambodia, the shinwatra loses power, leaves Thailand – this would be 3/3 if UngIngBingBong has to flee)

And remember I love the King