Cambodian Drone Incursions and Disinformation Threaten Thai Border Villages

Thailand’s northeastern frontier has turned into an arena where buzzing drones, competing narratives, and anxious villagers intersect. While both Bangkok and Phnom Penh insist they do not want a firefight, the frequency of pilotless aircraft slipping across the line and a parallel war of words abroad keep tensions simmering.

Border skies under scrutiny

Surveillance logs maintained by the Second Army Region show more than 250 Cambodian unmanned flights were tracked entering Thai airspace during the final week of 2025 alone, with fresh sightings registered this month over Phu Ma Khuea and Chong Bok. Field officers describe most platforms as lightweight reconnaissance craft, but several appear modified into potential “kamikaze” drones—a trend regional analysts say reflects the cheap, scalable nature of modern UAV technology. The Thai side has reinforced forward posts, laid new laterite roads to speed troop rotation, and placed mobile anti-drone jammers on ridgelines where visibility is best. Commanders concede that regaining full control of disputed Hill 745 remains unfinished business, yet emphasize the priority now is denying the air corridor to unauthorized flights and reassuring nearby hamlets of continued sovereignty protection.

The battle for narratives

Beyond the physical frontier, capitals are trading barbs in multilateral forums. Phnom Penh accused Bangkok last week of sending 27 Thai drones over Pursat and Preah Vihear provinces in a single evening—charges Thai generals dismiss as “fabricated optics.” Thailand, in turn, says Cambodia misleads global audiences by alleging that the Thai military damaged the UNESCO-listed Preah Vihear sanctuary. Historians in Bangkok counter that Cambodian units installed artillery inside the complex during the 2011 clash, an act they argue places the temple’s heritage status at risk. Security scholars warn that this spiralling information warfare could lock both governments into zero-sum public postures, narrowing space for quiet diplomacy.

Life along the frontier

For people in Surin, Buri Ram, and Si Sa Ket, the headline contest feels less abstract. Farmers have reported low-flying drones over cassava fields after dark; local leaders organise nightly watches and ask residents to phone soldiers rather than approach any wreckage. Civil agencies have pooled funds to extend health-clinic hours, repair wells, and compensate families whose plots were temporarily mined decades ago. Tourism promoters, meanwhile, see opportunity: once clearance teams declare Prasat Ta Kwai and Hill 350 safe, they hope to package the ancient Khmer frontier forts and panoramic war relics into a circuit that could rival Khao Phra Wihan National Park—if security stabilises.

Technology and countermeasures

Bangkok has quietly accelerated procurement of indigenous counter-UAS systems, testing frequency-hopping jammers developed by a Chachoengsao start-up alongside imported radar from Israel and Sweden. Aviation regulators extended a blanket drone ban across seven border provinces; hobbyists now require special permits, real-time geo-fencing, and flight logs uploaded to the CAAT portal. Military engineers are also experimenting with tethered helium aerostats equipped with electro-optical sensors that can loiter for days, a cheaper alternative to continuous helicopter sorties. Analysts say the arms-race dynamic is unmistakable: each new layer of Thai defence prompts Cambodian planners to seek lower-altitude routes or swarm tactics, reinforcing the cycle.

What comes next?

Diplomats from ASEAN’s Senior Officials Meeting will gather in Vientiane in February, where Thailand is expected to push a code of conduct for border UAV operations—something akin to the maritime rules in the South China Sea. Whether Phnom Penh signs on may depend on back-channel talks already under way through the Thai-Cambodian General Border Committee. Until then, residents along the line will keep scanning the night sky, soldiers will continue logging flight paths, and Bangkok’s broader strategy remains a balance of deterrence, dialogue, and carefully messaged restraint to ensure that buzzing propellers do not escalate into anything louder.