For Cambodia’s Villagers, Ongoing Intimidation Despite Peace Deal

Commentary

In an escalation of border tensions this weekend, residents of two border villages in Cambodia’s Banteay Meanchey Province endured three nights of psychological operations from the Thai side of the border.

Eerie sounds of simulated screams, frenzied dog barks, and the roar of helicopter blades pierced the night air from across the disputed frontier on Oct. 10 and Oct. 11. On Oct. 12, the speakers blasted a Thai history of Thailand–Cambodia relations.

The sounds have kept residents, including hundreds of children, awake for three nights. Many children appear to have suffered psychological damage and have been taken to a hospital, according to a local source who has filmed video footage of the disturbance.

“We’ve had our house taken away from us, which now lies behind barbed-wire fencing imposed by the Thai military weeks ago. Isn’t that enough? And now these terrifying screams. I don’t know what to say,” said Hul Malis, a villager who sleeps under an open-air tent by the border.

Malis’s house was confiscated when Thailand unilaterally imposed barbed-wire fences across the disputed border after fighting broke out in a neighboring province weeks ago.

According to local reports and the influencer’s own Instagram account, the perpetrator is Guntouch “Gun” Pongpaiboonwet, a controversial Thai social media influencer known online as Gun Jompalang. He boasts millions of followers for his self-styled vigilantism and ultra-nationalist commentary.

Jompalang did not respond to a request for comment.

He had previously threatened to spray human feces over the Cambodian border in a separate stunt weeks ago. U.S. Rep. Richard McCormick (R-Ga.) criticized the proposed stunt in an interview, saying he would intervene and bring it up with the Thai Embassy if it went ahead.

“I’ll be glad to address that with the Thailand ambassador because I don’t think anyone wants to see excrement sprayed on land. I don’t think that’s good for the peace process,” McCormick said.

Jompalang, 34, reportedly set up powerful speakers near the border in Thailand’s Sa Kaeo Province, directing the cacophony toward Prey Chan, which Cambodia claims as sovereign territory but Thailand contests as part of its Ban Nong Ya Kaew village.

“While most people across the country were sound asleep, the residents of Prey Chan and Chork Chey could not rest. The reason: deafening noise from loudspeakers blaring by Thai nationals, echoing like ghostly howls, barking dogs and eerie wails. This constitutes a serious violation of the right to rest and a grave infringement of human rights,” Neth Pheaktra, Cambodia’s Minister of Information, wrote in an X post on Oct 11.

On Oct. 11, more eerie sounds were being blasted into the villages for the second night in a row, beginning at about 9 p.m. local time and lasting for two hours. Four Facebook live-feeds filmed by Cambodian newscaster Sangly Sarak of the sounds had already ratcheted up more than 4.5 million views by the evening of Oct. 11.

Just after midnight, the speakers appeared to be reconnected to another device via a Bluetooth connection announcement, and residents suffered more loud noises.

On Oct. 12, a documentary film and Thai historical accounts of how Thailand helped the Cambodian people during the Khmer Rouge were heard blasting from the same speakers.

“For the last two nights, horrific sounds have been blasted over the Thai border. Children everywhere are crying, and old people can’t go to sleep. Now they have to endure through even more noise on a Sunday night,” Sarak said on a broadcast from the border.

These latest incidents follow a demining exercise carried out by the Thai military on Oct. 10, even though Cambodia requested a postponement because of the border tensions.

The operation, part of Thailand’s broader border security push, required approval under martial law imposed in Sa Kaeo and neighboring provinces since August, following deadly clashes that killed dozens and displaced hundreds of thousands.

Under this emergency rule, all civilian actions in the zone, including Jompalang’s stunt, must be vetted by military authorities to prevent escalation.

Maj. Gen. Benjaphon Dechatiwong Na Ayudha defended the actions in a statement to the press that was broadcast on the Thai Military’s Facebook page.

“Complain as they want, I’m doing it on my Thai land. My soldiers on duty are exhausted, and I’m just helping them stay awake. No one should feel bothered. I’m doing it on my own home, on my own land,” he said.

Thai PBS World reported that Thai Army spokesperson Maj. Gen. Winthai Suvaree described the sounds as a nonviolent form of protest by Thai people. Thai PBS has been broadly critical of U.S. President Donald Trump’s attempts to broker peace between the two sides this summer.

The International Committee of the Red Cross classifies such psychological operations when directed at noncombatants and designed to induce fear or mental harm as violations if they cause excessive suffering.

Some in Thailand criticized the events of the past three days. Thai Sen. Angkhana Neepalajit said the blasting of disturbing sounds to Cambodian residents may constitute psychological torture under international legal conventions.

Cambodian officials submitted an urgent appeal to the U.N. High Commission, condemning the “psychological intimidation” at border villages.

The incident comes weeks before an Oct. 26 ASEAN summit. Trump offered to preside over the summit to seal a peace deal between Thailand and Cambodia.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.