Thai military seized a large number of Chinese-made weapons, especially the fifth-generation anti-tank missile system GAM-102LR, during border conflict with Cambodia. The Thai Ministry of Defense has confirmed its legal right to retain Chinese-made weapons and dismissed speculations that the GAM-102LR must be returned to China.
According to the Bangkok Post, Surasant Kongsiri, a spokesperson for the Thai Ministry of Defense, stated on Monday that the Thai Army confiscated the GAM-102LR anti-tank missile system in an operation on Sunday, December 14th. He emphasized that, even if Beijing requests it, Thailand is not obligated under international law to return the weapon to its country of manufacture.
The system made its official debut earlier this year and is currently only deployed in limited numbers worldwide. Produced by Poly Defence, a Chinese company specializing in defense, it can be installed on military vehicles.
Cambodia is known to utilize a significant amount of Chinese-made weaponry. As reported by The Nation in Thailand, Thai soldiers from the 2nd Battalion of the 17th Infantry Regiment seized a large number of Chinese-made weapons from Cambodian soldiers at Hill 500, including Type 65 82mm and Type 89 anti-tank rocket launchers. Just one day prior, the same Thai unit confiscated a GAM-102LR from Cambodian soldiers.
The latest round of conflict between Cambodia and Thailand has been ongoing for over a week. On December 8th, the Thai military disclosed that they conducted airstrikes on Cambodian military facilities storing artillery due to intelligence indicating that various rocket launchers, including the Chinese-made PHL-03, could be used to target civilians in Thailand.
The two countries had a five-day border war eruption in July this year. It was alleged that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) had shipped rockets and shells to Cambodia in the weeks leading up to the Thai-Cambodian conflict. However, the CCP denied accusations of Cambodia using Chinese-made rockets during the border clashes between Thailand and Cambodia.