By Lobsang DS Subirana
Bangkok, Jul 24 (EFE).- Tensions between Thailand and Cambodia came to a boil Thursday along multiple points of their mutual border, resulting in at least 11 civilian deaths, 35 injuries and a retaliatory airstrike, following months of deteriorating diplomatic relations between the countries.
Fighting took place from the morning into the afternoon along six border areas – Prasat Ta Muen Thom, Prasat Ta Kwai, Chong Bok, Khao Phra Wihan, Chong An Ma and Chong Jom – the Thai army said in a statement, adding that a woman and child were among those killed. There were no known casualties in Cambodia as of press time.
“At 8:20am, Cambodian military personnel opened fire across from the Moo Paa base, approximately 200 meters east of Tam Muen Temple, forcing the Thai side to return fire,” military Spokesman Rear Adm. Surasant Kongsiri said at a morning press conference.
The spokesman said the exchange followed failed negotiations after Cambodian soldiers, fully armed, were deployed along a mutually agreed-upon barbed wire demarcation following an attempted drone surveillance mission. He added that Thai soldiers tried in vain to negotiate by shouting before fighting erupted.
“On the morning of Thursday (…) the Thai army launched an attack on the Cambodian army’s standing position at Taman Thom Temple and Tak Krobey Temple in Oddar Meanchey province,” Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet said in a Facebook post. “Let all our Khmer brothers and sisters believe in our government and armed forces who are standing on the front line to protect our homeland.”
Cambodian forces struck a gas station and convenience store with rocket fire in Thailand’s Sisaket province, killing at least two civilians. Thailand retaliated by launching airstrikes on two Cambodian military bases. There were no immediate reports of casualties.
The Thai army released a statement following the attacks, saying it “condemns the Cambodian actions of using weaponry to attack civilian targets within Thai territory. Recent incidents have resulted in civilian casualties and fatalities from such actions.”
Interim Thai Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai said the situation was delicate and that the initial border incident was under investigation.
Though tensions re-erupted in late May following the death of a Cambodian soldier along the Thai-Cambodian Preah Vihear–Ubon Ratchathani border, the conflict spans decades, stemming from a disputed temple claimed by both countries since Thailand first occupied it in 1954.
Located in the Emerald Triangle – where the borders of Thailand, Cambodia and Laos intersect – the area witnessed drug-related insurgencies and territorial strife throughout the Cold War and into the 21st century, culminating in the most recent disputes.
This includes the Wednesday detonation of a land mine, which Bangkok said was planted by Cambodia along a disputed area in Chong An Ma district in Thailand’s Ubon Ratchathani province, injuring five Thai soldiers.
Thailand said this constitutes a violation of the Ottawa Convention, an international agreement that prohibits the use, stockpiling, production and transfer of anti-personnel land mines.
Phnom Penh said the mine was on its side of the border and that Thailand’s armed forces were encroaching on its territory. Hun Manet called on the United Nations Security Council to convene an urgent meeting, calling the events an “unprovoked, premeditated and deliberate” attack on Cambodia, and saying they are “profoundly reprehensible.”
Diplomatic relations between the countries are at an all-time low, with Bangkok and Phnom Penh recalling their respective ambassadors and closing the 817-kilometer land border that separates them. EFE
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