Border dispute between Thailand and Cambodia: What we know so far
Thailand has launched airstrikes against military targets in Cambodia, marking a significant escalation in the long-running border dispute between the two countries.
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BANGKOK — Thailand announced on Monday, Dec. 7, that it had launched airstrikes along its disputed border with Cambodia, after both countries accused the other of violating a ceasefire brokered by President Donald Trump.
The Thai military said in a statement that at least one Thai soldier was killed and four others were injured in fresh clashes around two areas in the easternmost tip of Ubon Ratchathani province after being shelled by Cambodian troops.
“The Thai side has now started using aircraft to attack military targets in several areas,” the statement said.
Cambodia’s Defense Ministry said in a statement that the Thai military launched attacks on two of its military locations in the early hours following several days of provocations, adding that the Cambodian military had not retaliated.
The Thai military said Cambodian forces fired BM-21 rockets at civilian areas in Thailand, adding there were no reports of casualties.
Broken ceasefire
The border dispute escalated into five days of clashes in July, before a cease-fire agreement was reached brokered by Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and President Trump, who also witnessed the signing of an expanded peace agreement between the two countries in October in Kuala Lumpur.
Clashes in July left at least 48 people dead and an estimated 300,000 temporarily displaced as the neighboring countries exchanged rocket fire and heavy artillery fire.
Thailand announced it would suspend implementation of a cease-fire agreement with Cambodia after a landmine explosion injured a soldier last month. Hun Sen, Cambodia’s influential longtime leader and father of current Prime Minister Hun Manet, called for restraint from the Cambodian military, calling it an “aggressor” seeking to provoke a retaliatory response.
Prime Minister Hun Sen said on Facebook: “The red line must not be crossed in response. We call on commanders at all levels to educate all soldiers accordingly,” without elaborating.
In Thailand, more than 385,000 civilians have been evacuated from four border areas, and the Thai military has announced that more than 35,000 people are already being held in temporary evacuation centers.
Thailand and Cambodia have disputed sovereignty for more than a century over an unbounded spot along their 508-mile land border, which was first mapped by France, which ruled Cambodia as a colony, in 1907.
Despite attempts to peacefully resolve overlapping claims, simmering tensions have at times erupted into skirmishes, including a week-long artillery battle in 2011.
(Reporting by Reuters staff; Writing by Devjyot Ghoshal and Martin Petty; Editing by John Mair)
