Thailand conducted aerial attacks on Cambodian military positions on Thursday, while Cambodia launched rockets and artillery, resulting in the deaths of at least 11 civilians, marking a significant intensification of the prolonged border dispute between the two neighboring countries.
The neighbors are involved in a fierce dispute over a region called the Emerald Triangle, where the boundaries of two countries and Laos converge, and which contains several historic temples.
The dispute has continued for many years, escalating into violent military conflicts over 15 years ago and once more in May, when a Cambodian soldier died in a gunfight.
The dispute erupted on Thursday as Cambodia launched rockets and artillery into Thailand, prompting the Thai military to deploy F-16 fighter jets for aerial attacks.
The Thai Ministry of Public Health reported that at least 11 civilians lost their lives, with the majority killed in a rocket attack close to a gas station in Sisaket province.
Footage from the location revealed smoke rising from the roof of a convenience store connected to the gas station. Provincial authorities stated that the majority of the deceased were students inside the shop at the time of the attack.
Six Thai Air Force aircraft were sent from Ubon Ratchathani province, striking two “Cambodian military targets on the ground,” as stated by Thai military deputy spokesperson Ritcha Suksuwanon.
Each side accused the other of initiating the conflict, which began near two temples located on the border between Thailand’s Surin province and Cambodia’s Oddar Meanchey.
A spokesperson from the Cambodian defense ministry, Maly Socheata, stated that Thai forces initiated an “armed attack on Cambodian troops.”
“In reply, the Cambodian military used its rightful right to defend itself, in complete compliance with international law, to push back the Thai invasion and safeguard Cambodia’s sovereignty and territorial boundaries,” she stated.
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet called for an emergency session of the UN Security Council to discuss what his foreign ministry described as “unprovoked military aggression.”
The government spokesperson of Thailand, on the other hand, labeled Cambodia as “inhumane, violent, and eager for conflict,” while Bangkok’s foreign ministry stated that all border checkpoints had been closed and nearby residents had been relocated.
The Thai military claimed that Cambodian soldiers opened fire first and subsequently alleged a “targeted assault on civilians,” stating that two BM-21 rockets struck a village in Surin’s Kap Choeng area, injuring three individuals.
As per the Thai military, the fighting started approximately at 7:35 am (0035 GMT) when a group responsible for protecting Ta Muen temple detected a Cambodian drone in the air.
Later, six armed Cambodian soldiers, one of whom was equipped with a rocket-propelled grenade launcher, approached a barbed-wire fence in front of the Thai military post, according to the army.
Approximately 8:20 am, Cambodian troops fired towards the eastern part of the temple, roughly 200 meters away from the Thai camp.
Thailand’s interim Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai stated, “the current circumstances demand cautious management, and we need to proceed in line with international law.”
“We will strive to safeguard our independence,” he stated.
In a Facebook update, the Thai embassy in Phnom Penh advised its citizens to depart Cambodia “without delay” unless they had critical reasons to stay.
China, a close ally of Cambodia, expressed “deep concern” over the clashes, advocating for dialogue—while also advising its citizens in Cambodia to steer clear of the border area with Thailand.
– Long-running row –
The violence occurred just hours after Thailand expelled the Cambodian ambassador and recalled its own envoy in protest following the injury of five members of a Thai military patrol due to a landmine.
On Thursday morning, Cambodia declared it was reducing relations to the minimum level, withdrawing all but one of its diplomats and expelling Thai representatives from Phnom Penh.
In recent weeks, there have been a number of mutual exchanges between the two sides, including Thailand limiting border access and Cambodia suspending specific imports.
The border row also triggered a domestic political crisis in Thailand, where Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has been suspended from her position while undergoing an ethics investigation into her behavior.
A meeting between Paetongtarn and Hun Sen, the former long-serving leader of Cambodia and father of Hun Manet, was disclosed by Cambodian sources, leading to a legal inquiry.
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim urged both parties to “retreat” and begin discussions.
Malaysia is currently leading the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), a group that includes both Thailand and Cambodia as its members.
burs-pdw/fox
