KARACHI, Pakistan / ISTANBUL
A Cambodian minister on Monday said that four civilians were killed and nine others were injured in airstrikes by Thailand along the disputed border between the two countries.
Information Minister Neth Pheaktra said the “armed attack” targeted “Cambodian troops and residential areas” in Preah Vihear and Oddar Meanchey provinces, according to daily Khmer Times.
Earlier, Thailand launched airstrikes after fresh clashes left one Thai soldier dead and four others injured, threatening a fragile ceasefire agreement brokered by US President Donald Trump, according to Thai PBS.
Cambodia’s Defense Ministry said: “Thai military forces launched an attack on the Cambodian forces in An Ses area, Tamone Thom temple, the vicinity of Preah Vihear temple, 5 Makara, Chomka Chek, Mum Bei, Phnom Kmoch, Koul 8, Ta Krabey temple and Khna temple.”
t added: “Throughout the entire course of the attacks, the Cambodian forces did not retaliate at all, as our forces remain strictly committed to respecting and implementing the terms of the Ceasefire Agreement, the Joint Declaration between Cambodia and Thailand, and previous agreements between the two countries, based on the principles of resolving the disputes peacefully and in compliance with international law.”
However, Thai Armed Forces said Cambodia’s “border attack” in Si Sa Ket province was a “calculated distraction from evidence of newly planted PMN-2 anti-personnel landmines inside Thai territory,” according to Thai Enquirer.
Cambodia has denied laying new landmines along its border with Thailand.
Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul on Monday vowed to take all necessary measures to protect the country's sovereign and territorial integrity, saying that Bangkok “will respond with military operations in all instances corresponding with the situation.”
“No more negotiations. If Cambodia wants the fighting to stop, it will need to comply with our demands,” Thai PBS quoted the prime minister as saying.
Call for restraint
Malaysia urged Bangkok and Phnom Penh to exercise "maximum restraint," following airstrikes by Thailand along the disputed border with Cambodia.
"Thailand and Cambodia are close partners of Malaysia and key members of ASEAN. We urge both sides to exercise maximum restraint, maintain open channels of communication and make full use of the mechanisms in place. Malaysia stands ready to support steps that can help restore calm and avert further incidents," Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said in a statement.
Expressing concern over the latest escalations, he said the renewed fighting risks unravelling the careful work that has gone into stabilizing relations between the two neighbors.
"Our region cannot afford to see long-standing disputes slip into cycles of confrontation. The immediate priority is to halt the fighting, safeguard civilians, and return to a diplomatic path supported by international law and the neighborly spirit on which ASEAN depends," Anwar said.
The Thai Air Force said it used F-16 fighter jets to strike Cambodian positions in the Chong Ahn Ma border area in "retaliation for a series of Cambodian attacks," state broadcaster Thai PBS World reported.
Thai Army spokesman Maj. Gen. Winthai Suvaree said the fighter jets were ordered into action after Cambodian forces used artillery and aerial munitions against Thai troops at Anupong Base.
“The positions were actively attacking Thai forces,” he said, adding that operations were ongoing.
Earlier, Cambodia said the attacks undermine commitments made under the ceasefire agreement, which required both sides to refrain from hostile actions and resolve disputes through peaceful means, the Khmer Times reported.
Large numbers of civilians are reportedly evacuating from border communities on both sides of the conflict zone.
The dispute escalated into deadly clashes in July, displacing thousands of people.
Cambodia and Thailand signed a ceasefire deal in Kuala Lumpur on Oct. 26 on the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit, witnessed by Trump and Ibrahim in a bid to resolve their longstanding border dispute.