Socialist Workers Thailand: Ceasefire now! The people say no to war with Cambodia!

The gunfire and explosions that erupted along the Thai–Cambodian border on 24 July 2025 has taken the lives of both civilians and rank-and-file soldiers. This bloodshed is a tragedy for all who believe in peace. We extend our deepest condolences to the families of those lost and hereby affirm our firm stance: the conflict between Thailand and Cambodia must not be allowed to escalate further. 

“Ceasefire now” is the message we must all raise together. We call on everyone who stands for justice and peace across Thailand, Cambodia, and the ASEAN community to unite behind this call. We cannot count on the leaders of the governments or the militaries of Thailand and Cambodia to sincerely seek a swift resolution to this war. 

War between nation-states is a crime that the people never choose. It is driven by the ruling elites of modern states who seek to expand military influence in order to increase bargaining power over economic interests and to divert attention from class conflict, social inequality, and the erosion of democracy through the spread of nationalism and by allowing the military to monopolize national security. 

True national security defined as the well-being of the people and the safeguarding of democracy is not solely the business of the military, nor is it achieved through retaliatory or escalatory violence. Global history has taught us unequivocally that no war has ever been resolved through increased aggression. On the contrary, it only leads to further loss of life and grief. 

The nationalist incitement spread on social media and echoed by mainstream media since the beginning with hashtags like “Thailand is peace-loving but not afraid to fight” and “We will not lose even an inch of territory” — is completely inappropriate. It fuels racial hatred and dehumanizes others, and the victims of this hatred are Cambodian migrant workers in Thailand. 

We firmly believe that building an anti-war movement led by peace-loving citizens is the most reliable way to pressure the leaders of both nations to take public concern seriously. Therefore, we put forward two key demands: 

• An immediate ceasefire and the withdrawal of troops from the conflict zone.
• Solidarity between the people and workers on both sides through joint expressions of the desire for peace and opposition to war while creating space for dialogue to build lasting peace that goes beyond the framework of “nationalism.”

July 25, 2025