What began as a deadly clash over the contested border between Thailand and Cambodia has devolved into a raging online battle of narratives.
A ceasefire in July paused five days of fighting, in which at least 43 people were killed and more than 300,000 displaced, but now the fight has moved online.
Nationalist myths have been given a digital makeover, a beauty queen has been appointed to counter a female general, and old footage has been recycled to make accusations of war crimes.
From pageantry to press briefings
Sebastian Strangio, South-East Asia editor of The Diplomat, said Cambodia's tone had shifted since the border clash broke out.
Previously, it was mostly scaremongering about the loss of territory, he said.
But now Cambodia had sought to depict itself as the victim.
Strangio, who covered the 2008 border conflict between Thailand and Cambodia, said Phnom Penh had an advantage when it came to reframing the narrative.
"The Cambodian side has had a high degree of message discipline … it controls most of the press," he told the ABC.
Daily briefings by Ministry of Defence spokeswoman Lieutenant General Maly Socheata were used to "lob accusations at Thailand and to respond to things that Thailand has said or done", he said.
Thailand's messaging had been more chaotic, reflecting the country's fractured domestic politics, said Strangio, who has written several books about Cambodia and South-East Asia.
"Both sides claim to be innocent and their respective messaging is acrimonious and overblown, with no real common ground between the two sides and social media users," he said.
Thailand's Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra was recently suspended by the country's Constitutional Court following a leaked phone conversation with former Cambodian prime minister, Hun Sen.
The incident marked a souring of the previously amicable relationship between the two countries' leading dynasties.
"Obviously there is a big divide between [Thailand's] civilian government and the military commanders, [who are] often making their own statements to the press," Strangio said.
Cambodia's communication strategy has been so successful, Bangkok recently named actress and former Miss Thailand Panadda Wongphudee as its official defence spokeswoman.
"Let me make this straight forward, this appointment is to counter Lieutenant General Maly," Deputy Defence Minister Nattaphon Narkphanit was quoted by the Bangkok Post as saying at a press conference.
"At least I am confident that we hold one advantage over Cambodia: she is more beautiful."
Piyarat Panlee, from Thailand's Kasetsart University, said the "concerning" move had fuelled a "meme-driven rivalry" on social media.
Using a beauty queen as a celebrity spokeswoman risked putting spectacle over substance, Dr Panlee said.
"In moments of cross-border tension, the most effective spokesperson is one who calms the waters rather than stirs them," she said.
False claims fuelling tensions
One of the most viral falsehoods of the conflict has come from Lieutenant General Socheata, who said Thai fighter jets had dropped poison gas shells.
The Royal Thai Armed Forces rejected it as "completely unfounded".
But the message continued to be propagated by Cambodian media.
It then made its way into social posts, which shared photographs of an aircraft spraying a pink substance over forested hills.
The wife of Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet also shared the misleading image.
The claim was later debunked by news agency AFP's Fact Check unit, who found the image was taken by Reuters during US wildfires in January.
"It's frankly an insane claim to make without any evidence," Strangio said.
Another unsubstantiated report accused Thai forces of plotting to assassinate Mr Manet using a drone.
Fact-checkers have also flagged Thai-language misinformation circulating, including a video that alleged Thailand had been building a wall on the frontier with Cambodia.
Another fabricated video appeared to show a fighter jet firing a missile, a false claim generated with visual effects software.
These digital manipulations, according to AFP and other monitors, have stoked tensions and complicated independent reporting.
Nationalism unifies opponents
The border clash and subsequent disinformation campaigns have forged rare unity among the often-outspoken critics of the ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP).
Cambodian diaspora communities around the world — including in Melbourne — have been staging protests.
"It's been quite remarkable," Strangio said.
"Everybody seems to be echoing the government's talking points, including opposition figures."
Strangio said diaspora protests, typically aimed at the CPP, had pivoted to nationalist causes — denouncing Thailand for supposedly plotting to "steal Cambodian land".
Within Thailand, public displays of the flag have multiplied since the conflict began.
Thai flags have also popped up in New York's Times Square in an effort to sway international communities.
Both sides have tapped historic grievances.
Thai narratives have focused on "lost territories" while the Cambodian side has played into existential fears of being conquered by neighbours.
"These are now being translated to the digital sphere … taking on new forms," Strangio said.
"But they're very old narratives."
