On July 25, 2025, local time, Cambodian soldiers in the trenches continuously fired at Thai Army positions (Figures 1-4). The Cambodian military used the Chinese-made Type 85 12.7mm anti-aircraft machine gun and the LG4 40mm grenade launcher. Cambodian soldiers used large-caliber heavy machine guns produced in China to fire at Thai positions. In theory, this might just be for the sound, but this is the most traditional tactic of machine guns, known as over-the-top shooting. Generally, when using machine guns and rifles, they are in a direct-fire mode, but anti-aircraft machine guns and heavy machine guns are used as suppression weapons. In short, due to their long range, they can perform suppression tasks. After raising the angle of the anti-aircraft machine gun and heavy machine gun, the exact height is calculated, and then the anti-aircraft machine gun and heavy machine gun bullets are fired to achieve long-range coverage of a certain battlefield area, suppressing the Thai Army's positions. At this point, the bullets are equivalent to mortar shells, beating the opposing Thai Army. For Cambodian anti-aircraft machine gunners, the most important thing is to calculate and then perform the standard firing action to implement the suppression tactic. During the first world war, heavy machine guns could do this, performing over-the-top shooting, and rifle groups could also do it like this.
Before the mobilization, Thailand sent its army to put barbed wire outside the disputed temple on the Thai-Cambodian border. Cambodia directly deployed 122mm rocket launchers, including the 90B-type rocket launchers received in 2022. The Thai Air Force continued to deploy F-16 fighter jets for bombing. These two countries have been in conflict since April over the territorial dispute around the Preah Vihear Temple, and the fighting has lasted three months now. That temple is quite interesting; the temple itself belongs to Cambodia, while the surrounding land belongs to Thailand. The commander of the Second Army Region of the Thai Army is not under the control of the central government and always wants to make a big move. This time, the confrontation between Cambodia and Thailand has sparked rumors that hundreds of billions of dollars worth of mineral deposits were found below the Preah Vihear Temple, reportedly possibly rare earth minerals, which triggered the competition between the two countries. However, the real reason is historical issues. A United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) recognized heritage, the temple belongs to Cambodia, while the path to the temple belongs to Thailand.
At the same time, Thai Air Force F-16 fighter jets attacked Cambodian military positions near the Tamuan Thong Temple in the south. The Thai Armed Forces have launched a military operation against the Cambodian military. On the 24th, under the cover of Thai artillery fire, Thai troops crossed the border into Cambodia, occupying the Preah Vihear Temple and a border checkpoint on Highway 62. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet called on Thailand to "immediately stop the hostile actions, withdraw the troops back into Thailand, and not continue to escalate the situation," while he also requested the UN Security Council to hold an emergency meeting to discuss the military actions of the Thai Army. Both countries are friendly neighbors of China, and the outbreak of war is regrettable. We hope the war will end soon. We need stability in the regional environment now and do not want any messy things to happen. We maintain peace and develop the economy.
Escalation of Tensions Between Cambodia and Thailand
Original text: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1838598518157452/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author.