Cambodia-Thailand clashes: Cambodia's Hun Sen posts 'compromising' war map on Facebook, then deletes | See pics

As hostilities between Thailand and Cambodia escalate into open conflict, former Cambodian Prime Minister and current Senate President Hun Sen stirred controversy on Thursday by uploading, and then deleting, a photo showing what analysts identified as Cambodian military operational maps.

The two countries exchanged rocket and missile fire through the day, with their ground forces also reportedly clashing along the disputed border. The violence marked a major escalation in simmering tensions that had built up over the past few months. Thai officials said their air force had launched retaliatory strikes inside Cambodian territory after rocket attacks from across the border killed Thai civilians earlier in the day.

Amid this volatile backdrop, Hun Sen shared a post on Facebook that included images analysts say revealed sensitive military plans. The post was quickly deleted, but not before open-source intelligence researchers had saved and circulated the images online.

Hun Sen, the father of current Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet, ruled Cambodia either solely or jointly as prime minister from 1985 until 2023, when he handed power to his son. Despite stepping down from the top executive role, Sen retains immense influence as President of the Senate and head of the ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP). His continued grip on power includes sway over the military and foreign policy.

Sen has also been a key player in the recent hostilities, with some analysts describing him as the driving force behind the conflict.

“Very compromising pictures which indicate the current border skirmish are part of a planned Cambodian attack. Of course posted online by the mastermind himself,” said journalist Thomas van Linge in a post on X, referring to Sen’s now-deleted Facebook post.

It looks like Hun Sen, the President of Cambodia, posted these photos, including operational maps, to his Facebook page and then almost immediately deleted the picture with the maps (I can only find reposts). pic.twitter.com/4Kzgp96nS4

— Nathan Ruser (@Nrg8000) July 24, 2025

Van Linge further described Sen as “the architect of the current conflict,” noting that Cambodian forces have targeted civilians in “six to seven places inside Thailand.”

He added, “A crisis which is largely of Cambodia’s own making. As Thailand sought to deescalate tensions weeks ago former PM Hun Sen decided to humiliate the Thai PM instead by leaking their private call, forcing the Thai government into a corner from which it could only escalate to survive.”

The border tensions, which analysts say revolve around sovereignty claims over ancient Hindu temples and surrounding land, have now triggered a full-blown military exchange, raising fears of a broader regional crisis.

Thai officials have yet to publicly respond to Sen’s Facebook post or the authenticity of the leaked maps. However, the incident is likely to fuel Bangkok’s claims that Cambodia is pursuing a deliberate escalation.