Thailand launched air strikes on Cambodian military sites on Monday after a deadly border skirmish, the most dramatic escalation in months that endangers a peace deal demanded by US president Donald Trump.
The Thai military said it carried out ground and F-16 air operations after Cambodian forces opened fire at multiple border locations using small arms, machine guns, mortars and artillery, which killed at least two Thai soldiers and injured eight.
Both sides accused each other of cross-border fire over the weekend, rekindling a conflict that has flared occasionally for decades and left dozens dead during a brief but severe clash earlier this year.
“Thailand was left with no choice but to act in self-defence after observing continued Cambodian attacks against Thai forces,” army spokesperson Winthai Suvaree said in a briefing on Monday. “Cambodia has a history of repeatedly violating ceasefire agreements.”
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The Cambodian defence ministry said in a statement that it did not retaliate to the strikes.
The latest escalation threatens to collapse a peace accord brokered by the US and Malaysia, and risks derailing US-Thailand trade negotiations that would undermine Thai prime minister Anutin Charnvirakul’s economic priorities ahead of upcoming elections.
A key reason behind Thailand’s forceful response, according to Mr Winthai, was intelligence suggesting Cambodian forces had deployed additional troops and long-range weapons capable of threatening a Thai commercial airport and areas near a hospital. Thailand also accused Cambodia of targeting the country’s non-military areas near the border.
The Cambodian defence ministry denied Thailand’s claims and described actions by the Thai army over the past few days as “provocative”. It confirmed on Monday that the Thai military struck its forces at multiple locations in Preah Vihear province. The country’s minister of information separately accused Thailand of “widespread dissemination of false and fabricated information.”
The Thai air force said all missions, which included the first air strikes since July, were conducted under security protocols and international law “with the highest priority placed on preventing harm to civilians”.
Mr Anutin convened a meeting of security agencies to assess the latest border situation, according to his office.
Long-simmering tensions between Thailand and Cambodia erupted in July, triggering five days of military clashes at multiple areas along the 800km border. The fighting was the deadliest in recent history, leaving nearly four dozen people dead and displacing more than 300,000.
A ceasefire agreement was reached days later during talks in Malaysia and a peace accord was signed in October in a ceremony presided over by Mr Trump. The agreement included deploying observers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to help maintain peace.
The Asean secretariat did not immediately respond to emailed requests for comment. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent outside normal business hours in Washington
Mr Anutin last month suspended the peace agreement following a fatal shooting, saying he would prioritise national interests and the safety of Thai people over the fate of US trade talks tied to the agreement. “The government stands ready to take whatever measures necessary to protect our security, our border integrity, and the safety of our people,” Mr Anutin said Monday in a televised broadcast alongside leaders of the armed forces. – Bloomberg
