Southeast Asian Media Reporting

The Khmer Times

Khmer Times published an article on July 25, 2025, at 5:52 am ET claiming that Thai F-16 fighter jets bombed several temple sites in Cambodia, including Preah Vihear Temple, Wat Keo Sikha Kiriswar, and Ta Krabey Temple. According to the article, the airstrikes occurred at approximately 1:30 am ET on July 25, which falls within the Polymarket resolution window.

At first glance, this could suggest a qualifying airstrike under the market's criteria.

The article referenced a press conference video featuring remarks from Lieutenant General Maly Socheata of the Cambodian Defense Ministry.

Source Credibility

Khmer Times is widely viewed as a pro-government outlet with strong editorial ties to Cambodian authorities. It has previously been criticized for plagiarism and for republishing government talking points.

A 2018 article from The Guardian described Khmer Times as lacking editorial independence and being closely aligned with the ruling party. While it remains one of the few English-language publications operating in Cambodia, it is generally seen as less credible than the Phnom Penh Post, which has received international recognition for its journalism and editorial standards.

The Phnom Penh Post, once Cambodia's most respected independent newspaper, ended its print editions in 2024 but continues to publish digitally. While its editorial independence has been questioned since a 2018 ownership change, it remains more internationally recognized and widely cited than Khmer Times (NPR).

The Phnom Penh Post

On July 25 at 2:03 am ET, the Phnom Penh Post published an article referencing the same press conference statement by Lieutenant General Maly Socheata.

The Star

An hour and a half after the Khmer Times article, the Malaysian newspaper The Star published a report claiming that the Thai air force had deployed F-16s to bomb Cambodian targets in three key strategic areas.

The Nation

The Thai newspaper The Nation also reported on the strikes, though they made no mention what the primary source of the report was. There were no Thai reports confirming the strikes independently, so the article may have simply referenced the same statement made by Lieutenant General Socheata.

Market Reaction

Following the Khmer Times article referencing Lieutenant General Socheata's statement, "Yes" shares spiked from 30¢ to 67¢. The additional reports referencing the same Cambodian press statement did not move the price further. As the market deadline approached, the price gradually bled out, eventually falling below 10¢.

Summary

After the July 25 alleged Thai strikes on several Cambodian temples, Southeast Asian newspapers from Cambodia, Malaysia, and Thailand published articles regarding the incident. However, all of them referenced the same press statement by Lieutenant General Socheata. This reflects the price action of the initial pump from 32¢ to 65¢, followed by a gradual bleed-out.

Coming Up

Having looked at Southeast Asian media reporting, we now turn to Western coverage of the Thai strikes on Cambodia.