In a worrying escalation of cross-border tensions, armed clashes erupted between Thailand and Cambodia early Thursday along a long-disputed stretch of their shared frontier, with both sides trading blame over who fired the first shots after weeks of growing hostility.
In a statement, the Thai military said Cambodian troops had opened fire in an area near the disputed Ta Moan Thom temple. It said Cambodia had deployed a surveillance drone before sending troops to the area with heavy weapons.
Cambodia Alleges Unprovoked Incursion
A spokesperson for Cambodia’s defence ministry said there had been an unprovoked incursion by Thai troops and Cambodian forces had responded in self-defence.
The clash came after Thailand recalled its ambassador to Cambodia on Wednesday and said it would expel Cambodia’s envoy in Bangkok, after a second Thai soldier in the space of a week lost a limb to a landmine in the disputed area.
Thailand has said the landmines had been placed in the area recently, which Cambodia has described as baseless allegations.
Cambodia has many landmines left over from its civil war decades ago, numbering in the millions according to de-mining groups.
Thailand Lodges Formal Protest
The Thai Foreign Ministry has lodged a formal protest with Cambodia, saying the landmines found in the area were newly deployed and had not been encountered during previous patrols, the party said on social media.
Thailand has downgraded diplomatic relations with Cambodia, it said.
Cambodia’s government did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Its government spokesperson referred Reuters to the foreign ministry.
Thailand’s foreign ministry said it had yet to be informed of the decision to recall the Thai envoy and the plan to expel Cambodia’s ambassador.
The government has also ordered the closure of all border checkpoints under the jurisdiction of Thailand’s Second Army, the Pheu Thai Party said.
“Tourists are strictly prohibited from entering these border areas,” it said.
In the landmine incident on Wednesday, the soldier sustained injuries and lost his right leg, the party said.
(With inputs from Reuters)
