Cambodia's Hun Sen at the helm in border conflict with Thailand

When weeks of tensions escalated into a major border conflict with Thailand last week, former Cambodian prime minister Hun Sen appeared to take charge of his country's response.

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PHNOM PENH - When weeks of tensions escalated into a major border conflict with Thailand last week, former Cambodian prime minister Hun Sen appeared to take charge of his country's response.

Photographs showed him at the end of a long table, speaking with military officers and poring over detailed maps, radio set in hand and a cup of Starbucks coffee within arm's reach.

The former guerrilla fighter is no longer Cambodia's leader, having passed on the premiership to his eldest son in 2023 after nearly four decades in power, and has taken over as the president of the Southeast Asian nation's Senate.

But Mr Hun Sen played an outsized role in events leading up to the deadliest fighting between Thailand and Cambodia in more than a decade and - according to three diplomatic sources - showed his continuing influence during the five-day conflict.

On July 25, after artillery fired from Cambodia landed in civilian areas in Thailand's border provinces, the Thai army took direct aim at him.

"Based on available evidence, it is believed that the Cambodian government, led by Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo Hun Sen, is behind these appalling attacks," it said in a statement, using honorifics for the veteran politician.

Within hours of the clashes breaking out, Mr Hun Sen, 72, was sharing a flurry of posts on Facebook, his favored social media platform, to rally his people and criticize Thailand.

In one photograph he posted, he is seen in a video conference call with a dozen people, including several soldiers. In another post, he shared a photo of himself in combat fatigues.