An opinion piece published by the Bangkok Post on 10 February 2026.

The news from the front line, the border between Cambodia and Thailand, has a depressing familiarity. Another ceasefire is agreed upon, but it is accompanied by hostile statements from officials of both governments, and, in the past, such statements have led to aggressive action by one or both military forces. This opens the door to armed combat. People are killed or injured, property and infrastructure damaged, and people’s livelihoods disrupted. We need to break this cycle; we need real peace.

Formally, the fighting is over which country owns what territory at their border. There has been a focus on who controls the ancient ruins, such as Prasat Preah Vihear. This Unesco World Heritage site is one of several Khmer Hindu ruins that lie in or near the disputed border between Cambodia and Thailand. Anyone who has visited Angkor Wat, Cambodia’s world-famous 12th-century Hindu temple, or Thailand’s equally spectacular ancient capital of Ayutthaya, can appreciate the potential of the disputed ruins.

If peace were established and the sites were properly developed, expanded tourism would provide greater employment opportunities and income for the surrounding communities.

I want to emphasise that peace is a prerequisite for tourism. On-again, off-again ceasefires and border combat are a surefire way to discourage tourism. When I was young and strong, I backpacked; later in life, it was family travelling. In both cases, I did not go where there was a significant risk of being caught up in conflict or violence.

The Cambodia-Thai border conflict illustrates how tourism requires peace. In Thailand, despite a strong first half, tourist arrivals overall in 2025 were down 7.2% after fighting started in mid-year. In Cambodia, based on data for the first 11 months, tourist arrivals declined by 13.8%.

There are many factors affecting tourism in both countries, but the border conflict was undoubtedly one of them. The United States, for instance, maintains a travel advisory for both Cambodia and Thailand, warning travellers not to venture within 50 km of the border. Genuine peace will be needed to see tourists return.

One way to move forward would be to set aside the thorny issue of who owns what and turn over the development of the Khmer ruins to a purposely created international nonprofit organisation. The new nonprofit could have a revolving leadership, shifting between Cambodia and Thailand every few years. It would be tasked with rehabilitating the temple sites, improving visitor access, and helping tourists understand the rich history of the Khmer and Siamese peoples. With the proper structure, a dedicated nonprofit could raise sufficient funds to construct world-class tourist sites. Both countries haveconsiderable experience in this kind of work.

Creating a nonprofit to develop border areas does not signal a renunciation of territorial claims. Instead, it prioritises development and establishes conditions for lasting peace. Demarcating the border will only be possible in a peaceful atmosphere; it will not happen under the threat of war.

A new organisation is not a magic wand that instantly solves the international problems vexing the relationship between Cambodia and Thailand. Indeed, the two countries have tried a similar initiative to unblock the development of oil and natural gas reserves in disputed maritime territory without success. In that case, the agreement in principle to jointly develop energy resources did not provide sufficient guidance and lacked real buy-in from the governments. We need a more serious effort this time.

It will be essential to ensure a lasting ceasefire and a clearing of mines and stray munitions. Given the recent fighting between the Cambodian and Thai military forces, it may be too soon to ask them to work closely together to ensure a deep and lasting truce. Cambodia faced a similar challenge of maintaining peace between armed groups in the early 1990s, and the United Nations provided assistance. More recently, both Thailand and Cambodia have participated in United Nations peacekeeping efforts; for instance, both have provided detachments in South Sudan. United Nations peacekeepers would be particularly useful in clearing mines

It is time to ask for help; I’m convinced many countries would volunteer their forces. Peace and stability in Southeast Asia are vital to the people of the region, and both governments must recognise and accept their responsibility to end the conflict and hostility.