Since when did Cambodia “halt” anything?
Cambodia did not stop joint demining.
What actually happened:
• Thailand unilaterally announced it would begin demining “on its side first.”
• Cambodia insisted that all clearance must follow the KL Accord and include ASEAN Observers.
• Thailand refused the observer condition.
• Because Thailand refused observers, the joint operation could not continue.
So who halted the joint process?
Thailand did, by rejecting the required monitoring mechanism.
But in their narrative:
• They say “Cambodia halted”
• While they, in reality, stepped out of the joint framework
This is classic diplomatic inversion:
Blame the other party for the consequence of your own decision.
Because the United States is watching.
Thailand is under pressure:
• Trump’s tariff incentive is tied to mine clearance
• ASEAN observers are mandatory under the KL Peace Accord
• Cambodia is documenting every border move
• International media is picking up contradictions in Thai statements
So Thailand needs to tell the United States:
“We are still doing our part, Cambodia is the problem.”
This is domestic weakness disguised as international confidence.
To pre-empt embarrassment.
If Thailand proceeds with unilateral demining:
• without Cambodia
• without observers
• without joint maps
• without joint clearance protocol
then the operation becomes:
• illegitimate
• unverifiable
• easily accused of land manipulation
So Thailand accuses Cambodia first to protect itself from future criticism.
This is not strength.
This is insecurity.
“Thailand continues demining despite a halt in the joint operation”
This sentence is structured to mislead:
• It implies Thailand is the responsible party.
• It implies Cambodia walked away.
• It implies Thailand is the victim of disruption.
In reality:
• The joint operation stopped because Thailand refused observers.
• Thailand is now clearing mines alone.
• Thailand is telling the United States they are the reliable one.
This is a narrative engineered for international optics.
Cambodia is not dealing with a coherent Thai position anymore.
You have:
• MFA blaming Cambodia
• Army denying responsibility
• Cabinet softening tone
• Parliament delaying MOU decisions
• Committees warning about legal danger
• Spokespeople attacking Cambodia at random angles
The incoherence itself is the signal.
This latest claim is simply another symptom of fragmentation.
Midnight