Thailand-Cambodia tensions: clashes near the border leave one dead and three civilians injured

Gunfire erupted this Thursday morning around two ancient temples dating from the Angkor period (9th-15th centuries), in the Thai province of Surin and the Cambodian province of Oddar Meanchey, a Cambodian government source said. Thai army F-16 fighter jets struck two Cambodian "military targets" on Thursday, a few hours after these exchanges of fire.

Six F-16s deployed from the northeastern province of Ubon Ratchathani targeted "two Cambodian military targets on the ground," said deputy armed forces spokesman Ritcha Suksuwanon. The two armies accused each other of opening fire first. "At approximately 8:20 a.m. (3:20 a.m. in France), Cambodian forces opened fire toward the eastern flank of Prasat Ta Muen Thom temple, approximately 200 meters from the Thai base," the Thai military said in a statement.

Worst crisis in 15 years

Thailand also accused Cambodia of using a drone on the disputed site at around 7:35 a.m. (2:35 a.m. in France). Six armed Cambodian soldiers, including grenade launchers, subsequently approached a barbed wire fence, the army said, adding that Thai troops shouted in their direction to avoid a clash. "The Thai army violated Cambodia's territorial integrity by launching an armed attack on Cambodian forces," said Maly Socheata, spokesperson for the Cambodian Ministry of Defense. "The Cambodian armed forces exercised their right to self-defense, in full compliance with international law, to repel the Thai incursion," she continued.

The Thai embassy in Cambodia has urged its citizens to leave the country "as soon as possible." The two Southeast Asian kingdoms have long been at odds over the demarcation of their shared border, defined during the days of French Indochina, but the current crisis is the most serious in nearly fifteen years. The death of a Cambodian soldier during a nighttime gun battle in late May in another disputed area of the border, nicknamed the "Emerald Triangle," has sparked tensions between Bangkok and Phnom Penh, which have drastically reduced their economic and diplomatic ties.

Cambodia announced Thursday that it had downgraded diplomatic relations with its neighbor to the "lowest level." The day before, Bangkok recalled its ambassador to Phnom Penh and expelled the Cambodian ambassador after a Thai soldier lost a leg after stepping on a landmine at the border. A Thai military investigation determined that Cambodia had planted new landmines on the border, Thai authorities said. Cambodia rejected the accusations, saying border areas remain infested with active mines from "past wars."

“Protecting our sovereignty”

Thailand's acting Prime Minister, Phumtham Wechayachai, said Thursday that "the situation requires careful management" and "acting in accordance with international law." "We will do our best to protect our sovereignty," he said. The tensions have led Cambodia to suspend the import of some Thai products, and Thailand to restrict travel at border crossings. They also indirectly led to the suspension of Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, following a scandal sparked by the leak, on the Cambodian side, of a call with Hun Sen, who ruled Cambodia for nearly 40 years.