28/09/2025
Thailand’s aggression at the border is not random. Every move is calculated. What Thailand is using is a strategy known as “strategic provocation,” a deliberate set of tactics designed to prompt Cambodia to attack first, allowing Thailand to shift the narrative and claim victimhood in the eyes of the world.
According to The Straits Times, on September 16, 2025, Thai police fired tear gas and rubber bullets at Cambodian civilians protesting the barbed wire fence at the disputed Ban Nong Ya Kaew/Prey Chan area, injuring at least 23 Cambodians. Thai authorities then blamed the protesters for “provoking” the incident, alleging the use of sticks, stones, and slingshots. This was not an isolated incident; it was the most significant escalation since the July ceasefire and a textbook example of a calculated strategy designed to lure Cambodia into reacting first and then flip the narrative to claim victimhood.
According to J.D. Maddox, an internationally recognized expert on influence and political violence and a professor of national security studies at GMU in the United States, wars rarely begin by accident. In his article Narrative and Conflict, Maddox outlines ten tactics governments often use to provoke their enemies into war. Since the July ceasefire, Thailand has followed several of these steps with precision:
● Popular Narrative Development: Thailand has repeatedly framed itself as the victim, claiming in the Ban Nong Chan case that barbed wire was placed because Cambodian villagers were encroaching on Thai land.
● Impossible Demands: On August 28, 2025, Thai authorities issued an ultimatum that all Cambodian citizens in Ban Nong Chan must leave within two months or Thai forces would enforce territorial sovereignty immediately, according to The Nation Thailand. This is a demand no sovereign nation could ever accept.
● Military and Political Noise: Deploying barbed wire along the border under the pretext of “safety,” deliberately raising tensions without crossing into full-scale war.
● Cross-Border Lures: By moving troops and installing barbed wire inside Cambodian territory, Thailand seeks to provoke an impulsive reaction so it can later declare that Cambodia fired first.
● Rapid Condemnation: Thailand has always quickly accused Cambodia of aggression, ensuring that its version of events reached international headlines before facts could be verified. Even unproven accusations acted as passive propaganda.
These tactics are not just theoretical. Cambodian civilian protests are exactly what Thailand’s strategy seeks to exploit. By forcing Cambodian citizens into anger and confrontation, Thailand creates images and narratives it can weaponize, framing Cambodia as “uncontrolled” or “aggressive” even when its government has not taken military action. This raises the risk that any future border skirmish, no matter how small, will be painted internationally as a Cambodian escalation rather than a legitimate act of self-defense.
The September 16 incident shows how these steps work together. Cambodia’s unarmed civilians were met with disproportionate force, and the narrative was immediately shaped to portray Thailand as defending its sovereignty against “aggressive” protesters. This is how legitimacy is stolen, not just on the battlefield, but in the headlines.
Thailand’s moves are not reckless or random. They are calculated provocations designed to strip Cambodia of legitimacy. If Cambodia reacts emotionally and fires first, Thailand will flip the story, claim victimhood, and win international sympathy. That would not only cost Cambodia diplomatic support but could also expose Cambodia to sanctions. This does not mean Cambodia should allow Thailand to walk all over it. It means Cambodia must recognize the game and refuse to play it on Thailand’s terms. Thailand’s goal is not only to seize land but to rob Cambodia of international legitimacy by provoking Cambodia into war. The real fight is not just at the border, but in the story told about it. Strategic patience is not weakness; it is survival. Cambodia must outthink Thailand, not outshoot it.
Author: Muyhong Kheang