Mixed signals at border

The skirmishes between Thai and Cambodian troops in Chong Bok district, Ubon Ratchathani, risk turning into a full-blown conflict, after a recent clash resulted in the death of a Cambodian soldier.

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To avoid further conflicts, both governments should collaborate to prevent the situation from escalating out of control. The last thing anyone would want to see is another conflict in the region.

That said, the government and the armed forces need to be firm and ensure that not an inch of the kingdom's sovereign territory is lost. In times like these, there is no room for ambiguity, so the mixed signals coming from Thailand are a cause for concern.

Recently, former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, citing his personal rapport with former Cambodian prime minister Hun Sen, downplayed the incident.

"Hun Sen and I talk regularly. There's nothing to it. Everyone should avoid adding fuel to the fire," he said, not long after the clash — in sharp contrast to the more assertive stance Phnom Penh has assumed.