Cambodia to begin conscripting civilians amid border row with Thailand

[ad_1] Cambodia will start conscripting civilians into its army starting subsequent 12 months, Prime Minister Hun Manet stated on Monday, amid simmering tensions alongside its border with Thailand.

Hostilities between the neighbors spiked in current weeks after a Cambodian soldier was killed in a capturing incident on Might 28 alongside a contested border space.

Since then, some border areas have seen closures, Cambodia has petitioned the Worldwide Court docket of Justice and banned some Thai imports, and Thailand has suspended its prime minister, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, amid damaging response to a leaked telephone name with former Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen.

“This episode of confrontation is a lesson for us and is a chance for us to assessment, assess, and set our targets to reform our army,” Hun Manet stated throughout a ceremony at a army coaching middle.

<img data-chromatic="ignore" alt="In this photo released by Agence Kampuchea Press, Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Manet speaks during a ceremony in northern Kampong Chhnang province, July 14, 2025." class="c-image" loading="lazy" src="https://www.rfa.org/resizer/v2/I5J6TXYXTFBJPBLK75QSZDEOSA.JPG?auth=049d345f07734aabbcb2b8d8e9a0a1c32e6a8e00c71a1e434172efbc987421ca&width=800&height=533" srcset="https://www.rfa.org/resizer/v2/I5J6TXYXTFBJPBLK75QSZDEOSA.JPG?auth=049d345f07734aabbcb2b8d8e9a0a1c32e6a8e00c71a1e434172efbc987421ca&width=274&height=182 274w, https://www.rfa.org/resizer/v2/I5J6TXYXTFBJPBLK75QSZDEOSA.JPG?auth=049d345f07734aabbcb2b8d8e9a0a1c32e6a8e00c71a1e434172efbc987421ca&width=400&height=266 400w, https://www.rfa.org/resizer/v2/I5J6TXYXTFBJPBLK75QSZDEOSA.JPG?auth=049d345f07734aabbcb2b8d8e9a0a1c32e6a8e00c71a1e434172efbc987421ca&width=768&height=511 768w, https://www.rfa.org/resizer/v2/I5J6TXYXTFBJPBLK75QSZDEOSA.JPG?auth=049d345f07734aabbcb2b8d8e9a0a1c32e6a8e00c71a1e434172efbc987421ca&width=1024&height=682 1024w, https://www.rfa.org/resizer/v2/I5J6TXYXTFBJPBLK75QSZDEOSA.JPG?auth=049d345f07734aabbcb2b8d8e9a0a1c32e6a8e00c71a1e434172efbc987421ca&width=1440&height=959 1440w" width="800" height="533"/> cambodia-conscription On this picture launched by Agence Kampuchea Press, Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Manet speaks throughout a ceremony in northern Kampong Chhnang province, July 14, 2025. (Agence Kampuchea Presse by way of AFP) Cambodia’s parliament enacted a legislation in 2006 that may require all Cambodians aged 18 to 30 to serve within the army for 18 months. The legislation hadn’t been activated beforehand.

The CIA’s World Factbook estimates that Cambodia’s army consists of round 200,000 personnel; it says Thailand’s army has round 350,000.

Throughout his speech on Monday, Hun Manet referred to as for Cambodia to extend its army funds and for Thailand to reopen the border crossings it had closed.