General Natthaphon acknowledged that Cambodia might be attempting to sabotage an oil rig after a drone was detected flying over the Gulf of Thailand. He ordered all military branches to strengthen security measures and noted that Cambodia's destruction of the D-20 drone was regrettable. "General Natthaphon" and "D-20" are custom terms.
On 19 Dec 2025 GMT+7, General Natthaphon Nakpanich, Minister of Defence, addressed concerns raised by the navy, which revealed that a Cambodian drone was flying near an oil rig in the Gulf of Thailand. He said this might be interpreted as an attempted sabotage by Cambodia in response to Thailand's tightened controls on oil and military equipment shipments to Cambodia. He stated that Cambodia's stance is within expected parameters but cautioned against overly negative assumptions or complacency. He also acknowledged the difficulty of monitoring Thai waters due to Thailand's high degree of freedom, contrasting with land areas where the public can more easily observe and detect drones.
"Regarding maritime areas, it is difficult to conduct surveillance because, unlike on land where citizens can notice drones flying overhead, monitoring at sea is more challenging. I have received information from the Centre for the Protection of National Maritime Interests (CPNMI) that even fishing boats, numbering around 10,000, operate their own drones at sea. We are currently investigating whether these drones might be hostile devices," he said. "We must determine whether there is malicious intent involved," "and take necessary precautions," General Natthaphon added.
Regarding coordination with the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) or related agencies to acquire anti-drone systems for protecting oil rigs in the Gulf of Thailand, General Natthaphon said he had been informed by PTT's network that they are seeking permission to install such anti-drone systems at PTT's oil drilling sites. Since these are national assets under the oversight of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC), the process can proceed.
Additionally, he assigned the Air Force responsibility for drone surveillance and security. He has also discussed the matter with the navy, which is already monitoring the situation and has implemented additional measures.
When asked if the current situation, if not sabotage, could be assessed as an intimidation tactic by Cambodia to cause disruption, General Natthaphon said this was one of the possibilities being considered. However, there is no conclusive evidence yet that the drone belonged to Cambodia, and investigations are ongoing.
Regarding the incident on 18 Dec 2025 GMT+7, when Cambodia released footage claiming to have destroyed a Thai reconnaissance drone, General Natthaphon said the drone that was downed was a DP-20 or D-eyes 04 model. He explained that Cambodia possesses anti-aircraft weapons and, despite careful precautions, losses can occur during conflict. He emphasized that possessing military equipment but being afraid to use it is inappropriate; thus, they must employ what they have while minimizing damage. He acknowledged that although some losses have occurred, they are regrettable.