By Panu Wongcha-um
BANGKOK/PHNOM PENH () – Fierce fighting erupted between Thailand and Cambodia in a contested border region on Thursday, with both nations claiming the other initiated the violence following prolonged tensions and diplomatic conflicts.
The conflict arose following Thailand’s decision to recall its ambassador to Cambodia on Wednesday and announce the expulsion of Cambodia’s envoy in Bangkok. This followed the second Thai soldier in a week losing a limb due to landmines recently placed in the contested region.
The Thai military stated on Thursday that Cambodia sent a surveillance drone prior to deploying troops equipped with heavy weapons to a region near the contested Ta Moan Thom temple along the eastern border, approximately 360 km from Bangkok, the capital.
Cambodian forces fired upon Thai troops, resulting in injuries to two Thai soldiers, according to a Thai military official, who noted that Cambodia employed various weapons, including rocket launchers.
A representative from Cambodia’s defense ministry stated that there had been an unprovoked invasion by Thai soldiers, and Cambodian forces had reacted in self-defense.
The former influential prime minister of Cambodia, Hun Sen, stated in a Facebook post that two Cambodian provinces had been subjected to shelling by the Thai military. A representative from the Thai army said Cambodian troops
Thailand’s interim Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai mentioned that the situation is sensitive.
We need to be cautious,” he said to the press. “We will adhere to international law.
For over 100 years, Thailand and Cambodia have disputed control over different sections of their 817 km (508 miles) land border, where there are no clear boundaries. This has resulted in conflicts over multiple years and at least twelve fatalities, including during a seven-day period of artillery exchanges in 2011.
Hostilities flared again in May after a Cambodian soldier was killed in a short firefight that turned into a major diplomatic conflict and has now led to armed confrontations.
A move by Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra to address the latest conflicts through a phone conversation with Hun Sen, whose details were disclosed, sparked a political controversy in Thailand, resulting in her being suspended by a court.
Chamnan Chuenta, the governor of Surin Province in Thailand, requested in a Facebook update on Thursday that people living near the temple remain indoors and get ready for an evacuation.
Cambodia continues to face a significant threat from landmines that remain from its civil war many years ago, with estimates from de-mining organizations suggesting there are millions of these devices scattered across the country.
However, Thailand claims that landmines have been recently deployed in the border region, which Cambodia has labeled as unfounded accusations.
(Reported by Panu Wongcha-um and Chayut Setboonsarng; Written by Devjyot Ghoshal; Edited by Martin Petty)
