Massive demonstrations in Cambodia to support the government amid tensions on the border with Thailand

Portraits of the royal family, political leaders, flags flying from the temple of Angkor... Tens of thousands of people demonstrated on Wednesday, June 18 in Phnom Penh in support of the Cambodian government, engaged in a new standoff with its Thai neighbor over the border shared by the two countries.

To the rhythm of patriotic songs, a red and blue crowd marched toward the Independence Monument in the heart of the Khmer capital. For the first time since tensions escalated in late May, the conflict, previously contained to inaccessible border areas, spilled onto the streets of a major city en masse, marking a new escalation in the show of force.

The demonstration sent "encouragement and additional energy to the government and our soldiers," said Hun Many, brother of Prime Minister Hun Manet, who led the march alongside Buddhist monks. "When the country faces threats or insults, the Khmer people will not stand still; we will stand together in a spirit of unity," he insisted.

Cambodia and Thailand have been at loggerheads since the death of a Cambodian soldier on May 28 during a firefight with the Thai army in a disputed area. Phnom Penh and Bangkok accuse each other of starting the hostilities. Despite calls for calm from both sides, negotiations held this weekend in Phnom Penh appear to have failed to produce the desired results, although Thailand claimed progress had been made.

Since then, Cambodia has suspended imports of Thai fruits and vegetables to protest its neighbor's border restrictions, which penalize thousands of cross-border workers. Phnom Penh is also boycotting Thai TV series and films and has stopped purchasing bandwidth from its neighbor.

Prime Minister Hun Manet said Tuesday night that he wanted to maintain "peace," while asserting that the " ball was in the Thais' court ." The two Southeast Asian kingdoms have long been at odds over the demarcation of their more than 800-kilometer border, largely defined by agreements reached during the French colonial rule of the region.

Phnom Penh announced Sunday that it had referred four disputed areas to the International Court of Justice (ICJ). The Cambodian government argued that the move is aimed at preventing military escalation. The UN tribunal has already ruled in Cambodia's favor twice, in 1962 and 2013, over ownership of the Preah Vihear temple, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and a surrounding area.

Bangkok, for its part, reaffirmed that it does not recognize the ICJ's authority on the matter. Thailand advocates for a negotiated solution and has asked Cambodia to stick to official channels of communication, in an allusion to Facebook posts by former Prime Minister Hun Sen, the father of Hun Manet, who remains highly influential.