Thailand’s Psychological Warfare Must End: The UN Cannot Remain Silent
Thailand’s Psychological Warfare Must End: The UN Cannot Remain Silent
-Opinion-
In the quiet villages of Prey Chan and Chouk Chey, near Cambodia’s northwestern border, nights have become a nightmare. Since 10 October 2025, villagers — including women, children, the elderly, and the disabled — have been subjected to a disturbing campaign of fear. The Thai Armed Forces and some of Thai extremist have reportedly broadcast haunting sounds resembling wailing ghosts, followed by the roar of low-flying aircraft in the dead of night. The purpose is clear: to intimidate, harass, and psychologically torture innocent Cambodian civilians.
This grotesque act of psychological warfare has rightly prompted the Cambodian Human Rights Committee (CHRC) to issue an urgent appeal to Mr. Volker Türk, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. In its official letter dated 11 October 2025, the CHRC described credible evidence that Thai military units deliberately directed disturbing noises toward Cambodian villages for prolonged periods, disrupting sleep, provoking anxiety, and inflicting psychological and physical distress. Such acts are not random—they are systematic, targeted, and deeply inhumane.
The CHRC’s appeal is a call to conscience for the international community. These actions violate the very principles enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and the Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. No civilized society can justify the deliberate use of sound as a weapon to terrorize civilians. It is a new, sinister form of warfare—one that strikes at the mind rather than the body, but leaves scars no less painful.
Cambodia, for its part, has shown restraint and responsibility. The Royal Government has continued to educate its citizens to remain calm and patient, guided by the resilient spirit of the Khmer ancestors who built the glorious Angkor Empire. Cambodia upholds peace, dialogue, and international law. Yet patience must never be mistaken for weakness. When a neighboring state permits extremism and hostility to spill across its borders, it undermines not only bilateral peace but also the spirit of ASEAN solidarity.
The CHRC has urged the UN High Commissioner to initiate an immediate investigation, call for the cessation of all psychological intimidation, and deploy an on-site observation mission to the Cambodia–Thailand border. Such international presence is critical to prevent recurrence and ensure accountability. Moreover, the CHRC has called for medical and psychological assistance for affected villagers — a humanitarian necessity that must not be ignored.
It is deeply troubling that such acts are occurring in 2025, decades after the world pledged “never again” to tolerate cruelty against civilians. Thailand’s conduct represents not merely a violation of a ceasefire agreement, but a profound moral failure. Using fear as a weapon is incompatible with the principles of peace, human rights, and mutual respect enshrined in the United Nations Charter.
This is not a political issue; it is a human one. No border dispute or national pride can justify tormenting families at night with sounds of terror. The international community — especially the United Nations, ASEAN, and human rights organizations worldwide — must stand with Cambodia in defending the fundamental dignity of those who live in fear along the border.
Silence in the face of injustice only emboldens the aggressor. The time for quiet diplomacy has passed. The UN must act decisively to investigate, condemn, and stop these psychological attacks. Peace in Southeast Asia depends not on power, but on principles.
The Thai government must choose between the path of law and the path of intimidation. For the sake of regional stability, human decency, and the credibility of international human rights standards, the world must demand: Stop the psychological warfare. Respect humanity. Let peace prevail.
Roth Santepheap is a geopolitical analyst based in Phnom Penh. The views expressed are his own.
-Khmer Times-
