The fighting between Thailand and Cambodia exposes the depth of global arms proliferation in South-East Asia, proving more sophisticated and deadly than experts expected.

Cambodia shares a land border of 2,530 kilometers; Thailand, with a larger territory, has 5,673 kilometers. Cambodia's coastline spans 443 kilometers, while Thailand's spans 3,219 kilometers. Cambodia has 3,700 kilometers of waterways, and Thailand has 4,000 kilometers.

Both sides are trading blame and downgrading diplomatic ties over deadly border clashes as the region potentially faces its most serious conflict in over a decade.