Thailand launches airstrikes along border with Cambodia as tensions reignite
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- Thailand launched airstrikes along its disputed Cambodia border Monday, claiming Cambodian troops fired first and wounded one soldier.
- Cambodia’s Defense Ministry said Thai forces initiated the attack, continuing a pattern of mutual blame that defines the conflict.
- The clashes threaten a U.S.-brokered October ceasefire that ended five violent days in July when combat killed dozens of soldiers and civilians.
BANGKOK — Thailand launched airstrikes along the disputed border with Cambodia on Monday as both sides accused the other of attacking first.
Tensions have simmered since the Southeast Asian neighbors signed a truce agreement in October after their territorial disputes led to five days of combat in July that killed dozens of soldiers and civilians.
Thai army spokesperson Maj. Gen. Winthai Suvaree said the Cambodian troops fired first into Thai territory in multiple areas. He said one Thai soldier was killed and four others were wounded, and civilians were being evacuated from the affected areas.
Thailand used aircraft “to strike military targets in several areas to suppress Cambodian supporting fire attacks,” he said.
Cambodian Defense Ministry spokesperson Maly Socheata said the Thai military attacked the Cambodian troops first. She said Cambodia did not retaliate during the initial attacks Monday.
“Cambodia urges that Thailand immediately stop all hostile activities that threaten peace and stability in the region,” she said.
The Cambodian Education Ministry said several schools along the border were ordered closed Monday. Photos and videos posted on its Facebook page showed young students running out of classes to their parents. Some rode on motorcycles and others were seen walking away hurriedly.
On Sunday, a brief firing incident took place along the border. The Thai army said Cambodia fired first and injured two Thai soldiers. It said the Thai troops retaliated, resulting in an exchange of fire for about 20 minutes. Cambodia contended that the Thai side fired first and that it did not retaliate.
The U.S.-brokered ceasefire that ended the brief conflict was threatened last month after Thai troops were injured by land mines, leading Thailand to announce that it would indefinitely suspend implementation of the agreement. Both sides continue to trade accusations over responsibility, even as they are supposed to be cooperating in getting rid of the mines.
President Trump claimed in mid-November that he’d stopped a war between them as the tensions simmered.
Thailand and Cambodia have a history of enmity going back centuries, when they were warring empires.
Their modern territorial claims stem largely from a 1907 map drawn when Cambodia was under French colonial rule, which Thailand has challenged as inaccurate.
The International Court of Justice in 1962 awarded sovereignty to Cambodia over an area that included the 1,000-year-old Preah Vihear temple, which still rankles many Thais.
The ceasefire does not spell out a path to resolve the long-standing differences over where the border should run — the underlying basis of the dispute.
Sasornchai and Cheang write for the Associated Press and reported from Bangkok and Phnom Penh, Cambodia, respectively.
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