Name: Cambodia sees growing support for military as border tensions persist
Uploaded: 2025-12-24T23:52:25.329Z
Duration: 2 min 16 s
Description: Life in Cambodia’s capital, Phnom Penh, appears calm despite fighting along the border with Thailand. Yet the conflict is reshaping public attitudes and fuelling a surge in nationalism.

Life in Cambodia’s capital, Phnom Penh, appears calm despite fighting along the border with Thailand. Yet the conflict is reshaping public attitudes and fuelling a surge in nationalism.

Phnom Penh

Tensions along the Cambodia-Thailand border have led to a noticeable increase in support for the Cambodian military, with the effects reaching far beyond the conflict zone. In Phnom Penh, schools and communities are actively expressing solidarity with soldiers, while also calling for peace and providing aid to those displaced by the violence.

The conflict has prompted a shift in attitudes among young people, with some expressing willingness to join the military even before mandatory conscription begins in 2026. Teachers report that more students are now interested in staying in Cambodia to contribute to national development, and public displays of unity and national pride have become more prominent throughout the capital.

Cambodia sees growing support for military as border tensions persist

Phnom Penh is a long way from the exchanges of fire along Cambodia's border with Thailand. But the shockwaves of that conflict are felt well beyond the front lines, reaching classrooms, communities and daily life. The fighting has brought a renewed sense of unity, but also a surge in nationalism. At this school, students are writing letters of support to soldiers stationed at the border. They've also made banners, backing the troops while still calling for peace. I saw videos of students crying because they're escaping the school and they're so sad that their parents are doing this, they don't want to do this, they just want peace for our country, that's all we're asking for. Cambodia is set to introduce mandatory military service in 2026, but this conflict is already reshaping how some young people see conscription. I'm not going to wait for the conscripted, I want to enrol for myself to be in the army to defend my country. Schools here have not shied away from the politics of the fighting. Teachers say it's also triggered a shift in how students see their future and their responsibilities. There's a trend in Cambodia where they kind of dislike the country sometimes and they want to go out of the country when they finish high school, but ever since the conflict I have seen that many people actually change their mind and actually want to stay and study in Cambodia to actually help develop our society. In the centre of the capital, an aid point has been set up. People arrive throughout the day, donating food, medicine, clothes, money and their time to help those displaced by the violence at the border. For now, political differences appear to have been put aside, replaced by a shared sense of unity, pride and national identity. More flags are flying across the city, alongside symbols of support for the military. But as the conflict drags on, there are growing questions about how long this moment of unity and nationalism can last.

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