Hidden hands scuttling peace process in Thai-Cambodian conflict
As Asean prepares to investigate the landmine explosion that shattered the fragile Thai–Cambodian truce, the region confronts a sobering truth: peace is no longer threatened only by state decisions, military miscalculations, or competing national narratives.
Increasingly, the real spoilers are the non-traditional actors who thrive in the shadows of conflict — groups for whom instability is not a tragedy, but an opportunity.
This is the uncomfortable reality Southeast Asia must confront. Even as US President Donald Trump exerts immense pressure on both sides to preserve the Kuala Lumpur Peace Accord, the border remains a magnet for criminal networks, rogue groups, and illicit economies that can undermine any diplomatic progress.
These actors do not attend peace talks. They do not sign agreements. Yet they have the power to unravel them.
The renewed tension after the landmine blast must therefore be understood not only as a bilateral dispute, but as a corridor where insurgent…
