MalayMail/Reuters-Dec 9, 2025
Thailand has launched air strikes along its disputed border with Cambodia, its military said, after both countries accused each other of breaching a ceasefire brokered by US President Donald Trump. Tensions have simmered since Thailand last month suspended de-escalation measures after a Thai soldier was maimed in the latest in a succession of incidents involving landmines that Bangkok says were newly laid by Cambodia. Cambodia rejects the allegations. Cambodia had a defense budget of US$1.3 billion (RM5.3 billion) 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. Of this, the Cambodian army is the largest force, with some 75,000 soldiers, backed by more than 200 battle tanks and around 480 pieces of artillery. Thailand, which the US classifies as a major non-Nato ally, has a large, well-funded military, with a defense budget of US$5.73 billion in 2024 and over 360,000 active armed forces personnel. The Thai army has a total of 245,000 personnel, including an estimated 115,000 conscripts, around 400 battle tanks, over 1,200 armored personnel carriers and some 2,600 artillery weapons. The army has its own fleet of aircraft, comprising passenger planes, helicopters such as dozens of US-made Black Hawks, and unmanned aerial vehicles. Read more at:
