BANGKOK/PHNOM PENH: Thailand launched airstrikes into Cambodia on Monday after fresh fighting erupted along their disputed border, with both countries accusing each other of violating a ceasefire brokered by US President Donald Trump.
Thai officials said the strikes were carried out in self-defence. Cambodian officials said Thai forces attacked their troops and fired tank rounds near historic temple sites.
The latest clashes have killed at least four Cambodian civilians and one Thai soldier, and forced mass evacuations on both sides of the border.
A spokesperson for Thailand’s Second Army Region said more than 35,000 people had been evacuated from border districts.
The army said one Thai soldier was killed and 18 wounded since hostilities resumed on Sunday.
Cambodia’s information minister, Neth Pheaktra, told AFP that Thai shelling killed four civilians in the provinces of Preah Vihear and Oddar Meanchey. Around 10 others were wounded. They included a journalist who was hit by shrapnel from a Thai rocket.
Five days of combat between the neighbours earlier this year killed 43 people and displaced about 300,000 before a truce took effect in July.
That ceasefire was suspended by Thailand last month after a landmine blast maimed several soldiers. Both sides have since reported sporadic skirmishes.
Airstrikes targeted military positions
Thai army spokesman Winthai Suvaree said Thai jets struck Cambodian military positions early Monday.
He said the strikes were “highly precise” and used “only against Cambodian military targets”.
He stressed that civilians were not targeted.
Cambodia rejected Thailand’s account. Defence ministry spokeswoman Maly Socheata said Thai forces attacked Cambodian troops with tanks in Preah Vihear and Oddar Meanchey.
She later said Thailand used an F-16 jet to strike Cambodian positions.
She said the Thai attacks had continued throughout the day and expanded along the border. She insisted Cambodian forces had not retaliated.
The Thai army accused Cambodian troops of firing BM-21 rockets at civilian areas inside Buriram province. No casualties were reported.
Thousands flee as heavy weapons deployed
Displaced civilians on both sides described intense shelling and gunfire, AFP reported. Residents in Thailand’s Surin province said they fled to temples acting as shelters.
Cambodian villagers reported Thai tanks entering Prey Chan in Banteay Meanchey province only minutes after they evacuated.
Cambodian officials said more than 1,157 families had moved to safe areas in Oddar Meanchey alone.
Local residents in Thailand’s Ban Kruat district told reporters they heard explosions and artillery from early morning.
Cambodian opposition politician Meach Sovannara said civilians in border towns were also fleeing amid heavy shelling.
Concern over escalation
The conflict stems from a century-old border dispute dating back to France’s colonial mapping of Cambodia.
The frontier stretches 817 km and includes several temple sites. The dispute has periodically flared despite attempts at peaceful resolution.
Malaysia, the United States and China helped broker the July ceasefire. Trump co-signed a follow-on declaration in October, which was tied to trade agreements with both countries.
Thailand later suspended implementation of the deal.
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim urged both sides to halt the fighting and return to diplomacy.
He warned the renewed clashes risked unravelling recent progress in stabilising relations.
Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said no one should tell Thailand to stop. Speaking in Bangkok, he said, “If you want things to stop, tell the aggressor to stop.”
Rising risks along the border
The Thai Air Force said Cambodia had mobilised heavy weapons and repositioned combat units.
It said these moves required Bangkok to use air power “to deter and reduce Cambodia’s military capabilities”.
Cambodia’s defence ministry said its forces had not responded to Thai attacks and accused Thailand of initiating the latest escalation.
Cambodia’s former leader Hun Sen called Thailand the “aggressors” and urged Cambodian troops to show restraint.
He said the “red line” for retaliation had already been defined but did not elaborate.
Thai authorities said more than 385,000 civilians in four border districts were being evacuated, with 35,000 already in shelters.
Cambodian officials said more than 1,100 families had been displaced in Oddar Meanchey.
At least 48 people were killed and hundreds of thousands displaced during the July clashes.
