Cambodia will begin conscripting civilians into its military beginning next year, Prime Minister Hun Manet said on Monday, amid simmering tensions along its border with Thailand.
Hostilities between the neighbors spiked in recent weeks after a Cambodian soldier was killed in a shooting incident on May 28 along a contested border area.
Since then, some border areas have seen closures, Cambodia has petitioned the International Court of Justice and banned some Thai imports, and Thailand has suspended its prime minister, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, amid negative reaction to a leaked phone call with former Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen.
“This episode of confrontation is a lesson for us and is an opportunity for us to review, assess, and set our targets to reform our military,” Hun Manet said during a ceremony at a military training center.
Cambodia’s parliament enacted a law in 2006 that would require all Cambodians aged 18 to 30 to serve in the military for 18 months. The law hadn’t been activated previously.
The CIA’s World Factbook estimates that Cambodia’s military includes around 200,000 personnel; it says Thailand’s military has around 350,000.
During his speech on Monday, Hun Manet called for Cambodia to increase its military budget and for Thailand to reopen the border crossings it had closed.
Includes reporting from Agence-France Presse and the Associated Press.