Thailand launches airstrikes along Cambodian border as ceasefire fails

Thailand launched airstrikes along the disputed border with Cambodia on Monday, as both sides accused each other of breaking a ceasefire that halted fighting earlier this year.

Long-running border disputes erupted into five days of fighting in July that killed dozens of soldiers and civilians. US President Trump pressured Southeast Asian neighbors to sign a truce agreement in October, but tensions have remained latent.

The Thai Defense Ministry said more than 35,000 people have left areas near the border in search of shelters and more are believed to have fled to stay with relatives elsewhere, while Cambodia’s Information Minister Neth Pheaktra said residents of several villages near the border have been evacuated.

Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said in a televised speech that military operations would be carried out as necessary to defend the country and protect public safety.

“Thailand has never desired violence. I would like to reiterate that Thailand has never started a fight or an invasion, but will never tolerate a violation of its sovereignty,” he said.

The ceasefire came under strain in early November after Thai troops were injured by landmines, prompting Thailand to announce it would do so.indefinitely suspend the implementation of the agreement. Both sides continue to trade accusations of responsibility, even as they are supposed to be cooperating to get rid of the mines.

Trump said in mid-November that he had intervened to preserve the ceasefire as tensions between the two countries simmered.

But another brief bout of clashes took place along the border on Sunday, after which both sides said the other fired first. The Thai military said Cambodian fire wounded two Thai soldiers and Thai troops retaliated, leading to an exchange of gunfire that lasted about 20 minutes. Cambodia said the Thai side fired first and its own troops did not retaliate.

On Monday, Thai army spokesman Maj. Gen. Winthai Suvaree said Cambodian troops first fired on Thai territory in multiple areas. He said one Thai soldier was killed and four others wounded and that civilians were being evacuated from affected areas.

Thailand used aircraft “to attack military targets in several areas to suppress Cambodian supporting fire attacks,” he said.

Cambodian Defense Ministry spokesman Maly Socheata said the Thai military first attacked Cambodian troops on Monday and that Cambodia did not retaliate during the initial attacks.

“Cambodia urges Thailand to immediately stop all hostile activities that threaten peace and stability in the region,” he said.

The prime minister of regional neighbor Malaysia, Anwar Ibrahim, called for restraint in a statement posted on social media and said his country is willing to support efforts to avoid further clashes.

“Our region cannot afford to see long-standing disputes descend into cycles of confrontation,” he wrote.

Thailand and Cambodia have a history of enmity dating back centuries, when they were warring empires.

Its modern territorial claims largely arise from a 1907 map drawn when Cambodia was under French colonial rule, which Thailand has argued is inaccurate.

In 1962, the International Court of Justice granted Cambodia sovereignty over an area that included the 1,000-year-old Preah Vihear temple, which still irritates many Thais.

The ceasefire does not detail a path to resolving the underlying basis of the dispute: long-standing differences over where the border should run.