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Thailand launched airstrikes on the disputed border with Cambodia on Monday as both sides accused the other of violating a ceasefire that was established earlier this year.
The ensuing border clashes erupted into five days of fighting in July that killed scores of soldiers and civilians. US President Donald Trump pushed Southeast Asian neighbors to sign a more comprehensive deal in October, but disputes have continued to fester.
Thai forces say more than 50,000 people have left areas near the border, while Cambodia’s Information Minister Neth Phethawas said villagers have moved closer.
The latest round of clashes killed at least one Thai soldier and four Cambodian civilians, officials said.
Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said in a televised speech that military operations will be carried out as necessary to protect the country and protect public safety.
“Thailand has never wanted violent conflict. I would like to rewrite that Thailand has never started fighting or being attacked, but it will never tolerate the violation of its sovereignty,” he said.
The fighting follows an exchange of fire on Sunday.
The ceasefire was promoted in early November after Thai forces were injured by landmines, leading Thailand to announce that it would temporarily suspend the implementation of the agreement. Both sides continue to trade accusations of commitment, just as they should cooperate in demining.
Cut off the fire
Trump said in mid-November that he had intervened to save the fire as tensions rose between the two countries.
But another brief episode of fighting took place on the side of a nearby Sunday, after which both sides claimed the other shot first. The Thai military said Cambodian fire wounded two Thai soldiers and a Thai soldier, leading to an exchange of fire that lasted 20 minutes. Cambodia said the Thai side fired first and that its forces did not retaliate.
On Monday, the spokesperson of the Thai Army Maj. He said one Thai soldier was killed and four other soldiers were injured, while civilians were evacuated from the affected areas.
Thailand used the planes to “hit military targets in several areas to suppress Cambodian fire support attacks,” it said.
Cambodian Defense Spokesman, Maly Socheata said that Thai soldiers attacked Cambodian forces first on Monday, and that Cambodia did not retaliate during the first attack.
“Cambodia urges Thailand to immediately stop all hostile activities that threaten peace and stability in the region,” he said.
The neighboring Prime Minister of the region, Anyar Ibrahim, called for restraint in a forum sent to social media and said that his country is ready to support efforts to prevent further fighting.
Age of competition
“Our region cannot afford to see protracted conflicts devolve into cycles of conflict,” he wrote.
The age of lies under the national dispute
Thailand and Cambodia have a history of enmity that goes back centuries, when they were at war with each other.
Their modern day claims from the 1907 Map were drawn when Cambodia was under French colonial rule, where Thailand proved it wrong.
The International Court of Justice in 1962 granted sovereignty to Cambodia in an area that included the 1,000-year-old temple of Vihear, which still has many levels of thais.
The cease-fire does not reveal a way to resolve the basis of the dispute, the long-standing differences over which the border should operate.
