On Thursday (14 August), Second Army Region Commander Lt Gen Boonsin Padklang told students at Kasetsart University Laboratory School that King Vajiralongkorn has been receiving daily updates on the Thailand-Cambodia border situation.

Lt Gen Boonsin visited the school along with Army spokesperson Maj Gen Winthai Suvaree. During a talk on the border situation, he said that the King was concerned about the conflict and had been receiving daily reports from military commanders.

He explained that the King was simply continuing the monarch’s longstanding role as commander of the armed forces and added that Thai troops on the front line were ready for any situation and prepared to sacrifice their lives for the country.

According to The Reporters, Lt Gen Boonsin said that he proposed closing Ta Muan Thom temple to Cambodia out of concern that there might be an altercation if Thais and Cambodians gathered there on the same day. Claiming that Cambodia refused to close the temple, he noted that Thailand could still close the Thai side and asked permission from his superiors to do so. The next morning, Cambodian troops reportedly opened fire on Thai troops along the border.

Since the clash had already started, he said a decision was made to reclaim ‘lost’ territory, most of which was occupied by the Thai military during the 5 days of fighting.

Reporting on the same talk, Naewna noted that Lt Gen Boonsin said he would do the same thing again if Thailand were invaded … “attack without asking questions.”

He also warned students to beware of fake news and said that they should think critically about any information that could cause problems for the country, religion, King, or Thai people.