Thread by @BrajanKot

@RonFilipkowski 1).
„Thai and Cambodian soldiers have clashed along the border between their countries in a major escalation that left at least 14 people dead, mostly civilians. The two sides fired small arms, artillery and rockets, and Thailand also launched airstrikes [1].

@RonFilipkowski 2).
Fighting took place in at least six areas on Thurs., according to Thai Defense Ministry spokesperson Surasant Kongsiri,

@RonFilipkowski 3).
a day after a land mine explosion along the border wounded five Thai soldiers and led Bangkok to withdraw its ambassador from Cambodia and expel Cambodia’s envoy to Thailand.

@RonFilipkowski 4).
On Friday, Cambodia’s chief official in Oddar Meanchey province, Gen. Khov Ly, said clashes resumed early in the morning near the ancient Ta Muen Thom temple. Associated Press reporters near the border could hear sounds of artillery from early morning hours.

@RonFilipkowski 5)
The official also said that at least four civilians were wounded in Thurs.’s fighting there and that more than 4,000 people have been displaced from their villages along the border to evacuation centers. It was the first account of any casualties from the Cambodian side. [2]”

@RonFilipkowski 6).
„Tensions between the two countries started to worsen in May, when a Cambodian soldier was killed during a brief clash between Thai and Cambodian troops in a contested border area of the Emerald Triangle, where Cambodia, Thailand, and Laos meet.

@RonFilipkowski 7).
Thai and Cambodian forces said they were acting in self-defense and blamed each other for the skirmish [3].”

@RonFilipkowski 8).
„Thailand and Cambodia's military forces compared

@Reuters and the International Institute for Strategic Studies (@IISS_org) has this comparison of Thailand and Cambodia’s military forces.

@RonFilipkowski @Reuters @IISS_org 9).
Budgets and Ground Personnel

Cambodia had a defence budget of $1.3bn in 2024 and 124,300 active military personnel. The armed forces were established in 1993 from the merger of the country’s former Communist military and two other resistance armies.

@RonFilipkowski @Reuters @IISS_org 10).
Of this, the Cambodian army is the largest force, with 75,000 soldiers, more than 200 battle tanks and about 480 pieces of artillery.

@RonFilipkowski @Reuters @IISS_org 11).
Thailand, which the U.S. classifies as a major non-Nato ally, has a large, well-funded military, with a defence budget of $5.73bn in 2024 and more than 360,000 active armed forces personnel.

@RonFilipkowski @Reuters @IISS_org 12).
The army has 245,000 personnel, including an estimated 115,000 conscripts, 400 battle tanks, more than 1,200 armoured personnel carriers and 2,600 artillery weapons.

@RonFilipkowski @Reuters @IISS_org 13).
It also has its own fleet of aircraft: passenger planes, helicopters such as dozens of US-made Black Hawks, and unmanned aerial vehicles.

@RonFilipkowski @Reuters @IISS_org 14).
Air Forces

Cambodia’s air force has 1,500 personnel, with a relatively small fleet of aircraft, including 10 transport planes and 10 transport helicopters. It has no fighter aircraft but has 16 multi- role helicopters, including six Soviet-era Mi-17s and 10 Chinese Z-9s.

@RonFilipkowski @Reuters @IISS_org 15).
Thailand has one of the best equipped and trained air forces in Southeast Asia, with an estimated 46,000 personnel, 112 combat capable aircraft, including 28 F-16s and 11 Swedish Gripen fighter jets, and dozens of helicopters.

@RonFilipkowski @Reuters @IISS_org 16).
Navies

The Cambodian navy has an estimated 2,800 personnel, including 1,500 naval infantry, with 13 patrol and coastal combat vessels and one amphibious landing craft.

@RonFilipkowski @Reuters @IISS_org 17).
Thailand’s navy is much larger, with nearly 70,000 personnel, comprising naval aviation, marines, coastal defence and conscripts.

@RonFilipkowski @Reuters @IISS_org 18).
It has one aircraft carrier, seven frigates, 68 patrol and coastal combat vessels, and some amphibious and landing ships capable of holding hundreds of troops each and 14 smaller landing craft.

@RonFilipkowski @Reuters @IISS_org 19).
Thailand’s naval aviation division has its own fleet of aircraft, including helicopters and UAVs, besides a marine corps that has 23,000 personnel, backed by dozens of armed fighting vehicles [4].”

July 24, 2025

@RonFilipkowski @Reuters @IISS_org 20).
Endnotes:

[1] @AP
„The fighting included gunfire exchanges and shelling and rocket fire, which Thai authorities said killed a Thai soldier and 13 civilians and wounded 14 soldiers and 32 other civilians. Thailand responded with air strikes.”

apnews.com/article/thaila…

@RonFilipkowski @Reuters @IISS_org @AP 21).
[2] @AP apnews.com/article/thaila…

[3] @CNN edition.cnn.com/world/live-new…

[4] theguardian.com/world/live/202…

@RonFilipkowski @Reuters @IISS_org @AP @CNN Please unroll @threadreaderapp. Thank you in advance 𓃠