Thailand-Cambodia fighting spreads along contested border: All you need to know
The Thai Navy, in a statement on Tuesday morning, said Cambodian forces were detected inside Thailand’s territory in the coastal province of Trat and a military operation was launched to expel them.
Thai residents who fled homes as Thailand and Cambodia clash over border, rest at an evacuation center in Buriram province, Thailand. (AP Photo)
The fighting between Thailand and Cambodia has now spread along their contested border as the Thai military is preparing to take action to expel Cambodian forces from its territory on Tuesday, after a territorial dispute broke into open combat again on Monday when a Thai soldier and six people in Cambodia were killed, Reuters reported.
Both the sides have accused each other of breaching a precarious ceasefire brokered by US President Donald Trump and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim in October that ended the five days of fighting in July. Cambodia’s defence ministry confirmed on Tuesday that two civilians were killed overnight, which took the death toll to six in the recent skirmish.
The Thai Navy, in a statement on Tuesday morning, said Cambodian forces were detected inside Thailand’s territory in the coastal province of Trat and a military operation was launched to expel them. Further details regarding the operation or the detection of Cambodian forces weren’t provided.
In this photo released by Royal Thai Army, a wounded Thai soldier is carried to be transferred to a hospital in Sisaket province, Thailand after, according to a Thai army spokesperson, Cambodian troops fired into Thai territory. (AP)
Reacting to the latest skirmish with the Thai army, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet said late on Monday that Thailand “must not use military force to attack civilian villages under the pretext of reclaiming its sovereignty”. Cambodia’s administration also said that they have not retaliated to Thailand’s attack even after their forces came under sustained attack.
In contrast to Cambodia’s stance, the Thai Navy said that Cambodian forces were increasing their presence, deploying snipers and heavy weapons, improving fortified positions and digging trenches, Reuters reported. The navy added that they see these actions by Cambodian forces “as a direct and serious threat to Thailand’s sovereignty”.
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Thailand has evacuated 438,000 civilians across five border provinces since the recent clashes erupted and the Cambodian administration said thousands of people have been moved to safety. The violent skirmish in July led to an exchange of rockets and heavy artillery where at least 48 people were killed and over 300,000 displaced before Trump intervened to broker a ceasefire.
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Thai residents who fled homes as Thailand and Cambodia clash over border, rest at an evacuation center in Buriram province, Thailand. (AP Photo) 
