Thai and Cambodian Forces Trade Accusations as Border Fighting Flares Again

By Staff, Agencies

Fresh clashes have erupted along the Thai-Cambodian border, with Thailand conducting airstrikes inside Cambodia on Monday as both countries accused one another of violating a US-mediated ceasefire.

The truce, brokered by US President Donald Trump in July after five days of intense fighting, had paused a long-running territorial dispute dating back more than 50 years. But tensions resurfaced on Sunday, according to the Royal Thai Army, which claimed Cambodian troops opened fire on Thai soldiers in Ubon Ratchathani province.

One Thai soldier was killed and four others wounded. The army said additional forces at Anupong Base later came under artillery and drone attack.

Royal Thai Air Force spokesman Air Marshal Jackkrit Thammavichai said F-16 jets were deployed on Monday to “reduce Cambodia’s military capabilities to the minimum level necessary to ensure national security and protect civilians.”

Cambodia offered its own account of the events. Defense Ministry spokeswoman Lieutenant General Maly Socheata said Thai troops had attacked Cambodian positions with small arms, mortars, and tanks.

She denied that Cambodia had retaliated and rejected Thai claims of any troop buildup along the frontier.

The border dispute traces back to the French colonial era, when France—ruling Cambodia until 1953—drew the territorial boundaries. The outbreak of violence in July left dozens dead and displaced more than 200,000 people on both sides.