Thais and Cambodians slug it out on social media, as border tensions flarepublished at 06:27 British Summer Time
06:27 BST
Koh Ewe
Live page reporter
Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption,
Scene at an evacuation centre in the Thai border province of Surin
As the border clashes intensify, a different kind of war between their citizens has been raging – via increasingly belligerent exchanges on social media.
Nationalists from both sides have long bickered over several points of national pride – from ownership of temples and territories to the origins of traditional dances, costumes, food and sports.
The rising tensions in recent weeks, which culminated in the deadly attacks on Thursday, have now prompted young people on both sides to trade fresh barbs online.
The comment sections of social media posts about the conflict have turned into an online warzone, with Thai and Cambodian users arguing with each other and backing their governments official version of events.
“Justice for Cambodia,” one Cambodian user commented on a TikTok video of a user trying to explain the conflict. “Thai troops opened fire on Cambodian forces first.”
“[Who’s] gonna trust [what] the largest scammer country said?” a Thai user replied, making a reference to the widespread scam centres in Cambodia that have entrapped hundreds of thousands.