Cambodian and Thai troops exchanged fire in a new round of clashes on Thursday, hours after the two sides downgraded diplomatic relations in an escalating row over a disputed border.
Cambodian and Thai troops exchanged fire in a new round of clashes on Thursday, hours after the two sides downgraded diplomatic relations in an escalating row over a disputed border.
The neighbours are locked in a bitter spat over an area known as the Emerald Triangle, where the borders of both countries and Laos meet, and which is home to several ancient temples.
The squabble has dragged on for decades, flaring into bloody miliary clashes more than 15 years ago and again in May, when a Cambodian solider was killed in a firefight.
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A Cambodian government source told AFP that violence broke out again on Thursday morning near two temples on the border between the Thai province of Surin and Cambodia's Oddar Meanchey.
"The Thai military violated the territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Cambodia by launching an armed assault on Cambodian forces stationed to defend the nation's sovereign territory," defence ministry spokeswoman Maly Socheata said in a statement.
"In response, the Cambodian armed forces exercised their legitimate right to self-defense, in full accordance with international law, to repel the Thai incursion and protect Cambodia's sovereignty and territorial integrity."
According to the Thai army, the incident began around 7:35 am (0035 GMT) when a unit guarding Ta Muen temple heard a Cambodian drone overhead.
Later, six armed Cambodian soldiers, including one carrying a rocket-propelled grenade approached a barbed-wired fence in front of the Thai post, the army said.
Thai soldiers shouted to warn them, the army said, but around 8:20 am, Cambodian forces opened fire toward the eastern side of the temple, about 200 metres from the Thai base.
Thailand's acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai said "the situation requires careful handling, and we must act in accordance with international law".
"We will do our best to protect our sovereignty," he said.
Diplomatic relations collapse amid land mine accusations
Ties between the two Southeast Asian neighbours have unravelled rapidly since May, when a Cambodian soldier was killed in a skirmish over contested territory. But recent events have deepened the standoff.
Thai officials claim the land mines that injured its soldiers were newly planted in Ubon Ratchathani province.
Cambodia has denied the allegation, calling it “baseless” and insisting the blast occurred inside its Preah Vihear province.
“The explosion took place on Cambodian territory,” said Defence Ministry spokesperson Lt. Gen. Maly Socheata.
Thailand has accused Cambodia of breaching the Ottawa Treaty on anti-personnel mines and called for responsibility, but Phnom Penh maintains many mines are remnants of past wars.
Long-running row
The clash came hours after Thailand expelled the Cambodian ambassador and recalled its own envoy in protest after five members of a Thai military patrol were wounded by a landmine.
Wechayachai said an investigation by the Thai military found evidence that Cambodia had laid new landmines in the disputed border area -- a claim denied by Phnom Penh.
On Thursday morning, Cambodia announced it was downgrading ties to "the lowest level", pulling out all but one of its diplomats and expelling their Thai equivalents from Phnom Penh.
Border Sealed, Economic And Cultural Ties Fraying
Recent weeks have seen a series of tit-for-tat swipes by both sides, with Thailand restricting border crossings and Cambodia halting certain imports.
The Thai army said in a statement that one soldier lost his leg in the landmine blast, and others suffered ear injuries and chest pain.
Cambodia's defence ministry on Wednesday night "categorically rejected the unfounded accusations" made by Thailand.
The ministry said the border areas still contained "many landmines left over from past wars" which have not been fully cleared.
The border row also kicked off a domestic political crisis in Thailand, where prime minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has been suspended from office pending an ethics probe over her conduct.
A diplomatic call between Paetongtarn and Hun Sen, Cambodia's former longtime ruler and father of Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet, was leaked from the Cambodian side, sparking a judicial investigation.
Last week, Hun Manet announced that Cambodia would start conscripting civilians next year, activating a long-dormant mandatory draft law.
(With inputs from AFP)
