At least 12 people were killed on Thursday as Thai and Cambodian forces exchanged fire near a disputed border temple, hours after Phnom Penh expelled the Thai ambassador and recalled its own. The clash follows rising tensions and a diplomatic breakdown between the two neighbours.
Thailandsaid at least 12 civilians, including one soldier, were killed and 35 others injured amid fresh clashes Thursday in multiple contested border areas withCambodiaafter the nations downgraded their diplomatic relations in a rapidly escalating dispute.
The Thai army said it has launched airstrikes on ground targets in Cambodia. The Cambodian Defense Ministry said Thailand's army used jets to drop bombs on a road near the ancient Preah Vihear temple.
Clashes are ongoing in at least six areas along the border, Surasant said. The first clash Thursday morning happened in an area near the ancient Ta Muen Thom temple along the border of Surin and Cambodia's Oddar Meanchey province.
BothThailandandCambodiaaccused each other of opening fire first.
Thailand's acting premier said Cambodia had fired heavy weapons into Thailand without any specific targets, resulting in civilian deaths.
Caretaker Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai told a press conference there had been no declaration of war and conflict was not spreading into more provinces.
Fighting must first stop between Thailand and Cambodia before there can be negotiations, Wechayachai added.
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A livestream video from Thailands side showed people running from their homes and hiding in a concrete bunker Thursday morning as explosions sounded.
Thailand's foreign ministry issued a statement saying the country "is prepared to intensify our self-defense measures if Cambodia persists in its armed attack and violations upon Thailand's sovereignty in accordance with international law and principles."
Downgrading diplomatic ties
Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Manet said Thailand attacked Cambodian army positions at Ta Muen Thom temple and Ta Krabey temple in Oddar Meanchey and expanded to the area along Cambodia's Preah Vihear province and Thailand's Ubon Ratchathani province.
Cambodia has always maintained a position of peaceful resolution of problems, but in this case, we have no choice but to respond with armed force against armed aggression, he said.
Earlier Thursday,Cambodiasaid it was downgrading diplomatic relations with Thailand to their lowest level, expelling the Thai ambassador and recalling all Cambodian staff from its embassy in Bangkok. That was in response to Thailand closing its northeastern border crossings withCambodia, withdrawing its ambassador and expelling the Cambodian ambassador Wednesday to protest a land mine blast that wounded five Thai soldiers.
Relations between the Southeast Asian neighbors have deteriorated sharply since May when a Cambodian soldier was killed in an armed confrontation in another of the several small patches of land both countries claim as their own territory.
The Thai army said of Thursday's clash that its forces heard an unmanned aerial vehicle before seeing six armed Cambodian soldiers moving closer to Thailands station. It said Thai soldiers tried to shout at them to defuse the situation but the Cambodian side started to open fire.
'Unprovoked incursion'
Cambodias Defense Ministry said Thailand started the armed clash andCambodiaacted strictly within the bounds of self-defense, responding to an unprovoked incursion by Thai troops that violated our territorial integrity.
Cambodian Senate President Hun Sen posted on his Facebook page, urging people not to panic and have faith in their government and the military.
The Thai embassy in Phnom Penh posted on Facebook that there were clashes at several border areas that could continue to escalate. It urged Thai nationals inCambodiato leave the country if they could and advised others not to travel toCambodiaunless absolutely necessary.
China also weighed in, issuing a warning to its citizens in Cambodia to steer clear of the Thai border.
Beijing said it was deeply concerned by the violent escalation and urged both sides to settle the dispute through diplomatic means.
"We are deeply concerned over the current developments (and) hope both sides can properly resolve issues through dialogue and consultations," foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said.
"Good-neighbourliness and properly handling differences are in line with the fundamental and long-term interests of both sides," he said.
On Wednesday, a land mine blast near the border wounded five Thai soldiers, one of whom lost a leg.
A week earlier, a land mine in a different contested area exploded and wounded three Thai soldiers when one of them stepped on it and lost a foot.
Thai authorities have alleged the mines were newly laid along paths that by mutual agreement were supposed to be safe. They said the mines were Russian-made and not of a type employed by Thailands military.Cambodiarejected Thailands account as baseless accusations, pointing out that many unexploded mines and other ordnance are alegacyof 20th century wars and unrest.
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Nationalist passions on both sides have further inflamed the situation, and Thailands prime minister was suspended from office on July 1 to be investigated for possible ethics violations over her handling of the border dispute.
Border disputes are longstanding issues that have caused periodic tensions between the countries. The most prominent and violent conflicts have been around the 1,000-year-old Preah Vihear temple.
In 1962, theInternational Court of Justiceawarded sovereignty over the area toCambodiaand that became a major irritant in the relations of both countries.
Cambodiawent back to the court in 2011, following several clashes between its army and Thai forces which killed about 20 people and displaced thousands. The court reaffirmed the ruling in 2013, a decision that still rattled Thailand.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP and Reuters)
Originally published on France24
