Thailand has declared martial law in eight districts along its border with Cambodia. The decision is effective immediately.
Apichart Sapprasert, commander of the military’s Border Defence Command in Chanthaburi and Trat provinces, confirmed the order. “Martial law is now in effect,” he said in a statement.
Martial law allows the military to take full control of security and public order in those areas.
The development comes after the recent border clashes with neighboring country Cambodia, and continues to intensify.
Thailand declares martial law: below is a list of the districts
| Province | District |
|---|---|
| Chanthaburi | Mueang Chanthaburi |
| Chanthaburi | Tha Mai |
| Chanthaburi | Makham |
| Chanthaburi | Laem Sing |
| Chanthaburi | Kaeng Hang Maew |
| Chanthaburi | Na Yai Am |
| Chanthaburi | Khao Khitchakut |
| Trat | Khao Saming |
Read more: What you need to know about Thailand-Cambodia clash
The ongoing Thailand-Cambodia clash has sparked widespread public attention. Here are the key facts you need to know.
The Thailand-Cambodia border dispute is based on a colonial period dispute over Preah Vihear temple. In 1907, a survey of the temple done by Frenchmen surveyors made the temple part of Cambodia, although Thai protested. This set the basis of an extended dispute.
In 1962, the international justice court ruled that Cambodia had sovereign rights over the temple. But it flared up again in 2008, when UNESCO designated the temple as the World Heritage site which agitated military tensions between the two countries.
The situation has been greatly raised in recent activities in 2025. A leaked cell phone conversation of Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra and former Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen emerged on the net in June.
The recording captured Shinawatra in an apparently submissive tone which caused domestic upheaval in Thailand. She was consequently suspended out of office and her coalition government failed. The Thailand-Cambodia uncertainty in politics contributed to escalation of border tensions.
On July 24, 2025, a military conflict flared up in the middle of a conflict over the Ta Muen Thom temple. Thailand claimed that there were some Cambodian attacks on Thai positions which necessitated the Thais to retaliate by the use of artillery and airstrikes. BM-21 rockets were fired back by Cambodia.
