BANGKOK/PHNOM PENH, Dec. 8 (Xinhua) -- Less than two months after Thailand and Cambodia signed a joint peace declaration, violent border clashes broke out again from Sunday to Monday, with artillery fire reported in several areas and residents in multiple provinces rushing to evacuate. Both sides accused the other of initiating the attack and confirmed casualties.
What is the current situation on the ground? How are both sides responding? And what triggered the renewed conflict?
WHAT IS THE CURRENT BORDER SITUATION?
In a border village in Thailand's Si Sa Ket province, residents reported hearing continuous shelling from around 6:00 a.m. on Monday, Thai newspaper Khaosod reported.
The first round of artillery fire prompted authorities to declare the area a danger zone. Security personnel assisted with evacuations while some villagers fled in their own cars. Local security teams also broadcast warnings urging remaining residents to move to designated safe zones, according to the report.
On the Cambodian side early Monday, families in Preah Vihear province traveled inland by motorcycle to escape the clashes.
Since small-scale exchanges of fire began on Sunday afternoon, the Thai military has ordered residents in four border provinces to evacuate, with roughly 70 percent moved to safety by Monday morning.
Thai Army spokesperson Winthai Suvaree said on Monday that the new round of border conflicts between Thailand and Cambodia has killed one Thai soldier and injured eight others.
Later on Monday, Cambodian Information Minister Neth Pheaktra said that four Cambodian civilians were killed in the border clashes.
WHAT DID THE TWO SIDES SAY?
As in previous incidents, the two sides issued conflicting accounts over who fired first.
Thailand's Second Army Region said Cambodian forces opened fire at 2:16 p.m. Sunday in Si Sa Ket province, injuring two Thai soldiers and prompting Thai troops to respond in accordance with standard rules of engagement. The exchange reportedly ended at 2:50 p.m.
Winthai said on Monday that clashes continued from late Sunday into early Monday and escalated after 5 a.m., with Thai soldiers coming under "supporting fire weapons" from Cambodia. He added that, in response to casualties and what Thailand described as a direct threat to national security, the Royal Thai Air Force carried out air operations targeting Cambodian military infrastructure.
Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said Thailand will exercise its "legitimate right to self-defense" to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity in response to ongoing border clashes with Cambodia.
Cambodia strongly rejected Thailand's accusations.
Cambodian Defense Ministry spokesperson Lt. Gen. Maly Socheata said that around 5:04 a.m. on Monday, Thai forces launched attacks on Cambodian positions in Preah Vihear province.
This attack followed numerous provocative actions by Thai forces in recent days, particularly the Sunday clash in the Prorlean Thmar area, she said. Socheata added that Cambodian troops "did not retaliate during the two assaults" and were acting in line with the ceasefire agreement and the joint peace declaration.
WHY HAVE TENSIONS REIGNITED?
In late May this year, clashes occurred in a disputed territorial area along the border between Thailand and Cambodia in Ubon Ratchathani province in northeastern Thailand. In late July, armed conflicts broke out again in the border area. According to data released by both sides, the exchanges of fire have left dozens of people dead, with over 100,000 people evacuated to safety.
On Oct. 26, during the ASEAN summit held in Malaysia, Thailand and Cambodia signed a joint peace declaration, after which both sides began withdrawing heavy weapons from the border.
Analysts say domestic political dynamics in both countries contributed to the latest escalation.
Chettha Sapyen, a professor at Navamindradhiraj University in Thailand, said Cambodia has been facing mounting internal pressure -- including disputes over landmines, the freezing of assets linked to transnational fraud networks, and declining domestic support -- and may be using border tensions to divert public attention.
Kin Phea, director general of the International Relations Institute of Cambodia, a think tank under the Royal Academy of Cambodia, noted that Thailand's "expansionist ambitions" in disputed areas remain a major driver of continued tensions. He said foreign policy issues often serve as an outlet for pressures within Thailand's domestic political landscape.
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said on Monday that 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.
Noting that the Thailand-Cambodia border dispute has deep historical roots, Ong Tee Keat, former Malaysian transport minister, said that relying solely on U.S. pressure through trade agreements, without addressing the core causes of the conflict, amounts to a temporary fix at best, making any ceasefire difficult to sustain.
Both Thailand and Cambodia need mediators who are trusted friends by both sides, he stressed. Enditem
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