The Cambodia

  Thailand steps up moves to block fuel and strategic supplies reaching Cambodia, tightening sea monitoring and suspending fuel exports at Chong Mek Thailand has stepped up efforts to choke off what security officials describe as a “lifeline” of fuel and strategic supplies potentially heading to Cambodia, expanding controls from maritime routes in the Gulf of Thailand to land crossings in the Northeast as border clashes drag on. The push reflects a broader shift in the conflict from battlefield exchanges to pressure on logistics — with fuel treated not simply as a commodity, but as a strategic input that can sustain military operations and wider supply chains. Fuel as a strategic supply In prolonged conflict, fuel is central to mobility and operational readiness — powering everything from armoured vehicles and troop transports to naval assets and aircraft. Restricting access can therefore become a form of non-kinetic pressure, aimed at limiting an opponent’s capacity without escala...

  The Defence Ministry says it regrets the impact on Laos after the Second Army Area tightened controls at Chong Mek to stop fuel and military supplies being forwarded to Cambodia. Rear Admiral Surasant Kongsiri, spokesperson for the Defence Ministry, said on Monday, December 15, that the violence along the border has primarily harmed civilians, alleging Cambodian forces have used heavy weapons against civilian targets, while Thailand has focused its strikes on military objectives. He said clashes have continued across seven border provinces, and that from 12.00am on Monday the Second Army Area issued an order tightening controls on the export of fuel and military-related supplies through the Chong Mek permanent border crossing in Chong Mek subdistrict, Sirindhorn district, Ubon Ratchathani, which borders Laos The key reason, he said, was evidence suggesting fuel and other military supplies had been transported onward and delivered to Cambodia for use in the fighting. “Thailand has...