Thailand has escalated its military and economic pressure on Cambodia by implementing a comprehensive blockade on fuel and military supplies, a move that significantly raises the stakes in a border conflict now entering its second week with no diplomatic resolution in sight. The Thai National Security Council announced on Tuesday the decision to block all seaborne shipments of fuel and warfare-related supplies to Cambodia . This expands on earlier measures that halted overland fuel exports to Laos through the Chong Mek border crossing, where approximately 80 tanker trucks carrying an estimated 4 million liters of fuel were left stranded on Monday . Thai authorities, acting on intelligence that supplies were being diverted to Cambodian forces, are now coordinating a maritime enforcement operation to prevent shipments from reaching Cambodia by sea .
The fuel embargo represents a critical strategic maneuver in a conflict characterized by Thailand's overwhelming military superiority. The Royal Thai Air Force, possessing one of the region's most advanced fleets including F-16 and Gripen fighter jets, has conducted sustained airstrikes deep inside Cambodian territory . Cambodia's Foreign Ministry has condemned these attacks, stating that F-16 strikes have penetrated 80 to 90 kilometers across the border, killing at least 15 civilians and damaging cultural sites, including the UNESCO-listed Preah Vihear Temple . Thai forces have also targeted large casino complexes along the border, which they allege are being used by Cambodia as bases for launching armed drones and stockpiling weapons .
Despite multiple international calls for de-escalation, the path to peace appears blocked. A critical meeting of ASEAN foreign ministers, which was scheduled for Tuesday to address the crisis, was postponed to December 22 at Thailand's request . This delay underscores the ineffectiveness of regional diplomacy and follows the failure of a U.S.-brokered ceasefire agreement signed in October, which quickly collapsed . Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has taken a hawkish public stance, declaring on social media that his government had agreed to no ceasefire and vowing to defend Thailand's integrity "at all costs" . In contrast, Cambodia has expressed support for a ceasefire proposed by Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim .
The human cost of the fighting continues to climb dramatically. More than half a million people have been displaced from their homes on both sides of the border since the latest clashes began on December 7 . Casualty reports, though conflicting, indicate dozens of military and civilian deaths. Thailand has reported 17 soldiers and one civilian killed, while Cambodia claims 15 civilian fatalities and over 400,000 displaced within its borders . The conflict has also taken a personal turn, with a senior Thai military adviser issuing a stark warning directly to Cambodia's powerful Senate President Hun Sen .
The escalating war presents a severe challenge to ASEAN's credibility, highlighting the bloc's inability to resolve conflicts between its own member states . As diplomatic efforts falter, other global powers are weighing in. China has called for "utmost restraint" from both nations . The conflict also features a complex arms dimension, with evidence of advanced Chinese-made weaponry, such as GAM-102LR anti-tank missiles, appearing on the battlefield, though no direct evidence yet points to Beijing actively resupplying either side during the current fighting .
For now, Thailand's dual strategy of aerial bombardment and economic strangulation through the fuel blockade shows no sign of abating. With a key ASEAN meeting delayed and the Thai leadership publicly rejecting negotiations, the prospects for a swift end to the violence remain grim as hundreds of thousands of civilians endure the consequences of one of Southeast Asia's most intense border wars in decades.