On this July, 2025, picture launched by the Royal Thai Military, Thai troopers examine a border space in Ubon Ratchathani† province the place the Royal Thai Military mentioned two anti-personnel landmines have been discovered.
Royal Thai Military/AP
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Royal Thai Military/AP
BANGKOK — Thai and Cambodian troopers fired at one another in contested border space Thursday after the nations downgraded their diplomatic relations in a quickly escalating dispute.
It was not instantly clear if the conflict was ongoing. A livestream video from Thailand’s facet confirmed individuals working from their properties and hiding in a concrete bunker Thursday morning as explosions sounded periodically.
The conflict occurred in an space the place the traditional Prasat Ta Muen Thom temple stands alongside the border of Thailand’s Surin province and Cambodia Oddar Meanchey province.
Each Thailand and Cambodia accused one another of opening fireplace first.
Earlier Thursday, Cambodia mentioned it was downgrading diplomatic relations with Thailand to their lowest stage, expelling the Thai ambassador and recalling all Cambodian workers from its embassy in Bangkok. That was in response to Thailand closing its northeastern border crossings with Cambodia, withdrawing its ambassador and expelling the Cambodian ambassador Wednesday to protest a land mine blast that wounded 5 Thai troopers.
Relations between the Southeast Asian neighbors have deteriorated sharply since Might when a Cambodian soldier was killed in an armed confrontation in one other of the a number of small patches of land each nations declare as their very own territory.
The Thai military mentioned of Thursday’s conflict that its forces heard an unmanned aerial automobile earlier than seeing six armed Cambodian troopers transferring nearer to Thailand’s station. It mentioned Thai troopers tried to shout at them to defuse the scenario however the Cambodian facet began to open fireplace.
Cambodia’s Protection Ministry mentioned Thailand began the armed conflict and Cambodia “acted strictly within the bounds of self-defense, responding to an unprovoked incursion by Thai troops that violated our territorial integrity.”
Cambodian Senate President Hun Sen posted on his Fb web page, urging individuals to not panic and place confidence in their authorities and the navy.
On Wednesday, a land mine blast close to the border wounded 5 Thai troopers, one among whom misplaced a leg.
Every week earlier, a land mine in a special contested space exploded and wounded three Thai troopers when one among them stepped on it and misplaced a foot.
Thai authorities have alleged the mines have been newly laid alongside paths that by mutual settlement have been presupposed to be protected. They mentioned the mines have been Russian-made and never of a kind employed by Thailand’s navy. Cambodia rejected Thailand’s account as “baseless accusations,” stating that many unexploded mines and different ordnance are a legacy of twentieth century wars and unrest.
Nationalist passions on either side have additional infected the scenario, and Thailand’s prime minister was suspended from workplace on July 1 to be investigated for potential ethics violations over her dealing with of the border dispute.
Border disputes are longstanding points which have triggered periodic tensions between the nations. Essentially the most distinguished and violent conflicts have been across the 1,000-year-old Preah Vihear temple.
In 1962, the Worldwide Court docket of Justice awarded sovereignty over the world to Cambodia and that turned a serious irritant within the relations of each nations.
Cambodia went again to the court docket in 2011, following a number of clashes between its military and Thai forces which killed about 20 individuals and displaced hundreds. The court docket reaffirmed the ruling in 2013, a call that also rattled Thailand.
