Clashes between Cambodian and Thai forces over a temple are a sign of what’s to come if Thailand tries to take it, says Michael Hayes in The Diplomat.

When I was publisher and editor-in-chief of the Phnom Penh Post I was once sued by then-Second Prime Minister Hun Sen. I was accused of spreading disinformation and trying to create political instability and, over the years, several Cambodian government officials accused me and my newspaper of attempting to ‘destroy the nation.’

So one thing I’ve never been called is the Cambodian government’s spin doctor. But on the issue of the current border dispute between Cambodia and Thailand surrounding Wat Preah Vihear, I’m as angry as the next Cambodian over what we perceive as a Thai-initiated conflict of grossly unjust proportions.