Bangkok — Thai forces carried out airstrikes on Cambodian military positions Monday morning after artillery and rocket fire from across the border killed a Thai soldier and wounded several others, Thai military officials said.
The Royal Thai Army reported that Cambodian troops opened fire at about 7:00 a.m. in the Chong Bok area of Nam Yuen district, striking both military and civilian locations. One soldier was killed and four others were injured in the barrage, the army said.
Maj. Gen. Winthai Suvaree said Thai ground forces returned fire and later deployed fighter jets to strike Cambodian arms-support positions around Chong An Ma Pass to stop further incoming attacks. The 2nd Army Region also reported that roughly 8:30 a.m. rockets launched from Cambodian BM-21 systems hit Ban Sai Tho 10 in Ban Kruat district of Buri Ram province.
Cambodian authorities, however, denied initiating the violence and accused Thai troops of provocative actions over several days. The Cambodian army said Thai forces struck first at about 5:04 a.m. Cambodia’s Ministry of National Defence described the Thai strikes on Preah Vihear province as brutal and inhumane and said they violated the recent peace agreement reached at the ASEAN summit in Kuala Lumpur.
The clash follows a pause by Thailand in its commitments to the Kuala Lumpur pact, announced in November after a landmine blast injured two Thai soldiers. The agreement, signed in late October and publicly presented as a diplomatic breakthrough, was reportedly witnessed by the U.S. president.
The incident also came amid recent public comments by the U.S. president about resolving multiple conflicts, in which he mentioned Cambodia and Thailand among others.
Long-running border tensions between Thailand and Cambodia date back decades and stem partly from disputes over colonial-era maps. The frontier has seen repeated flare-ups; heavy fighting in July that involved jets, rockets and ground forces killed dozens and displaced nearly 200,000 people.
This report is based on a syndicated news feed and reflects statements from both Thai and Cambodian military sources. The publisher assumes no responsibility for independent verification of the account.
