Thailand launches airstrikes along disputed border with Cambodia as tensions flare | Thailand

Thailand launched airstrikes along its disputed border with Cambodia after the two countries accused each other of violating a ceasefire deal brokered by Donald Trump.

Four Cambodian civilians and at least one Thai soldier were killed in the new clashes, which forced tens of thousands of people to flee their homes.

Thailand’s military said airstrikes were launched after one of its soldiers was killed and four others wounded in fighting along the country’s tense border Monday morning.

Thailand’s air force said it was striking military targets in several areas and accused Cambodia of mobilizing heavy weapons and repositioning its combat units.

The Cambodian Defense Ministry blamed Thailand for the escalation. He said Thai forces launched attacks on his troops on Monday and Cambodia did not retaliate, despite “provocative actions for several days.”

Four Cambodian civilians were killed in Oddar Meanchey and Preah Vihear provinces, according to Cambodian Information Minister Neth Pheaktra.

Six weeks ago, Trump oversaw the signing of a ceasefire deal he brokered to end a five-day war that erupted in July. At least 48 people have been killed in the conflict and 300,000 others have been forced to flee their homes.

Tensions have remained high despite the ceasefire agreement, with both sides accusing each other of violations and Thailand announcing in November that it was suspending the agreement.

General Chaiyapruek Duangprapat, chief of staff of the Thai army, said the Thai army sought to cripple Cambodia’s military capacity, with the aim of neutralizing it as a long-term threat.

Former Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, who remains hugely influential and is the father of current leader Hun Manet, urged his country’s forces to exercise restraint even as Thailand tried to “train us into retaliation.”

“The red line for responding has already been set. I urge commanders at all levels to educate all officers and soldiers accordingly,” Hun Sen said in a Facebook post.

Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said in a televised speech that his country did not want violence and denied starting the conflict. “However, Thailand will not tolerate violations of its sovereignty and will proceed rationally and in accordance with the principles of peace, security and humanity,” he said.

More than 385,000 civilians were ordered to evacuate border areas in four provinces, according to Thai authorities, who said around 50,000 people had left to seek shelter.

People also fled villages on the Cambodian side of the border, according to the country’s information ministry, which said 1,157 families had been evacuated to safe areas.

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who helped broker the initial ceasefire, urged Thailand and Cambodia to avoid any escalation, warning that the fighting risked “undermining the painstaking work done to stabilize relations between the two neighbors.”

“We urge both sides to exercise maximum restraint, maintain open communication channels and make full use of the mechanisms in place,” Anwar, president of the Asean regional bloc, said in an online message.

Tensions rose in May, when troops briefly exchanged fire in a contested area, killing a Cambodian soldier. This led to a series of retaliatory actions by both governments and escalated into conflict in July. A ceasefire was agreed after an intervention by Trump, who warned that trade negotiations would be suspended until a peace deal was reached, along with efforts by Malaysia and China.

However, the agreement remains fragile and last month Thailand announced it was suspending the ceasefire agreement, accusing Cambodia of planting new landmines along the border, including one that it said injured a Thai soldier, who lost a foot in the explosion.

A Cambodian civilian was then killed and three others injured, according to the Cambodian prime minister, after both sides accused each other of opening fire.

At the time, Trump, who has used trade negotiations to pressure both sides, downplayed the incidents, saying he had “stopped a war” through the use of tariffs, adding: “I think everything will be fine.” »

The dispute between Thailand and Cambodia dates back more than a century, when France, which occupied Cambodia until 1953, first mapped the land border.

Conflict over the border, which stretches more than 817 kilometers, has erupted several times over the years, fueled by nationalist sentiment.

Asked about Trump’s intervention and Anwar’s call for restraint, Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul told reporters that no one should tell his country to “show restraint or stop – we are long past that point.”

“If you want things to stop, tell the abuser to stop,” he added.