CAMBODIA vs THAILAND ROOTS OF THE BORDER WAR

July 2025's clashes are the latest in a long frontier conflict that has gone unresolved, from the era of warrior kings to smart bombs

- WORDS MIGUEL MIRANDA

Having preserved its independence at the cost of an economic stranglehold by the British Empire and its unstoppable merchant fleet, the kingdom of Siam spent decades refashioning itself into a modern state.

Aiding the process were treaties with England and France that agreed on lasting borders. Having cobbled together Indo-China from the mid-19th century onward, France wrangled distant Siamese provinces with treaties in 1904 and 1907. Similar arrangements were settled with the British in 1909, and these were blessings in disguise: at long last Malay incursions from the peninsula and Burmese invasions from the northwest were deterred for good.

After renaming itself Thailand in 1939, modernisation progressed with the usual characteristics of Southeast Asian countries - foreign investment and centralised government - helped along by the country's location. Its capital Bangkok not only flourished at the mouth of a river delta but also had access to a vast gulf. The country's interior was neatly bracketed by dense forest and mountains, leaving uninterrupted wetlands suited for large-scale rice cultivation. These advantages gave its borders paramount importance, even during the Second World War. The nonaligned Thai state fought Vichy forces in 1940 in a sudden rebuke to decades of amity. With as many as a dozen coup d'etats sweeping its government since the 1930s Thailand's democratic tradition is unchanged today: civilian leadership in name only, while former generals enjoy important government positions with the monarchy’s blessing. This age-old problem metastasised as the Cold War loomed over Southeast Asia.