The military option is always the last resort for the Thai government and the current objective is not to destroy Cambodia, but to erode its military capabilities to the point that it no longer poses a security threat to Thailand, said Air Chief Marshal Prapas Sornjaidee, the Thai Air Force’s assistant chief of staff and director of the Thai-Cambodia War Situation Information Centre.
In an exclusive interview with the Thai PBS, ACM Praphas said that the Thai military had maintained a state of combat readiness since the initial skirmishes in July this year, until Thai soldiers started being maimed by landmines on December 7th. That was the turning point, because all the diplomatic efforts to end the conflict were in vain.
He noted that the Thai military could have responded with force to Cambodian provocations immediately, but it had not done so because civilians had to be evacuated to safer areas first. He noted that the border conflict has escalated ever since.
The Thai military has deployed a large number of troops, including the Burapha, Suranaree and Chanthaburi-Trat task forces, in the war effort, covering about 800km of the border between Thailand and Cambodia.
He maintains, however, that the use of force by the Thai military is based on legitimacy, proportionality and international human rights principles, limiting the use of force to military targets.
Even though Cambodian forces have opened fire on civilian targets in Thailand, ACM Prapas said that the Thai military has avoided civilian targets in Cambodia, to send a message to the international community that Cambodia is the one breaking international law.
“Modern warfare is not about destroying the enemy, like in the First and Second World Wars or the Korean War, but it is about effect-based operations, which may take time, such as cutting enemy supply lines, targeting munitions stores and isolating the frontline troops, so they lose the ability to pose a threat to us in the future. This is a global principle," said the Air Force assistant chief-of-staff.
He pointed out that the measure of the effectiveness of this type of military operations is that the frequency and intensity of Cambodia’s bombardments and its control of territory have reduced significantly. It could well take ten years for them to restore their military capabilities.
“Please do not forget that this is not a conflict between the Thai and Cambodian peoples,” he stressed, adding that that it is all about political policies and border demarcation lines. We just want our land back, because it belongs to us. We do not want their territory,” said ACM Prapas.
He said that the war with Cambodia must end through negotiation, “like all wars, there must be an exit strategy from the conflict,” adding that it now depends on Cambodia genuinely wanting a ceasefire and settlement talks.
He hailed the military’s achievements so far as the first time in Thai history that there has been such close cooperation and coordination between the three armed forces, the police, the political and people sectors.
Nonetheless, he said that the best option way to solve any conflict solving is without the use of force.
