Thailand closes border crossings with Cambodia and recalls ambassador as tensions flare
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‘Situation delicate’: Thai and Cambodian soldiers fire at each other at border area; all you need to know
Tensions between Thailand and Cambodia boiled over into violence on Thursday morning. Soldiers from both sides exchanged gunfire near the disputed Prasat Ta Muen Thom temple along their shared border. The clashes came just hours after Cambodia officially downgraded diplomatic relations with Thailand and recalled its embassy staff from Bangkok. This was in retaliation for Thailand’s decision to expel the Cambodian ambassador and shut several border crossings after a land mine blast wounded five Thai soldiers. The roots of the border dispute stretch back over a century, to when colonial-era maps were drawn following France’s occupation of Cambodia.
Thai officials claim the land mines that injured its soldiers were newly planted in Ubon Ratchathani province.
Cambodia has denied the allegation, calling it “baseless” and insisting the blast occurred inside its Preah Vihear province.
“The explosion took place on Cambodian territory,” said Defence Ministry spokesperson Lt. Gen. Maly Socheata.
Border sealed, economic and cultural ties fraying
The crisis has also rocked Thai politics. Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra is under fire after a leaked call with Cambodia’s ex-leader Hun Sen, in which she called him “uncle” and dismissed a Thai commander as someone who “just wanted to look cool”. Critics accused her of undermining the military, and a key coalition partner has since exited her government.
Tensions between Thailand and Cambodia boiled over into violence on Thursday morning, as soldiers from both sides exchanged gunfire near the disputed Prasat Ta Muen Thom temple along their shared border. The Cambodian Foreign Ministry accused Thai troops of firing first, while the Thai army said it returned fire after spotting six armed Cambodian soldiers and hearing a drone overhead.The firefight, which occurred in Surin province (Thailand) and Oddar Meanchey province (Cambodia), was accompanied by blasts that sent local residents fleeing into bunkers. A Thai army statement confirmed that no casualties were reported but added that field artillery had been used in response.The clashes came just hours after Cambodia officially downgraded diplomatic relations with Thailand and recalled its embassy staff from Bangkok. This was in retaliation for Thailand’s decision to expel the Cambodian ambassador and shut several border crossings after a land mine blast wounded five Thai soldiers earlier this week.Ties between the two Southeast Asian neighbours have unravelled rapidly since May, when a Cambodian soldier was killed in a skirmish over contested territory.But recent events have deepened the standoff.Thailand has accused Cambodia of breaching the Ottawa Treaty on anti-personnel mines and called for responsibility, but Phnom Penh maintains many mines are remnants of past wars.The military standoff has triggered sweeping punitive measures from both sides, with bilateral relations now described as the worst in over a decade.Cambodia has banned imports of Thai fruits, vegetables, electricity, internet, and cultural content including Thai dramas.Thailand has restricted land crossings into Cambodia, blocked tourist travel for gambling, and suspended internet services used by Cambodian authorities.Despite these restrictions, exemptions are being considered on humanitarian grounds.The roots of the border dispute stretch back over a century, to when colonial-era maps were drawn following France’s occupation of Cambodia.
Thailand Closes Border Crossings with Cambodia, Recalls Ambassador as Tensions Flare
Thai authorities say that the mines were newly laid along paths that by mutual agreement were supposed to be safe. Cambodia rejected the Thai version of the events as “baseless accusations’ Cambodia has denied that it laid new mines along the border, pointing out that many unexploded mines and other ordnance remain all over the country, a legacy of civil war and unrest that began in 1970 and ended only in 1998. There is historical enmity between the two nations, with former prime minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra suspended from office last month after making disparaging comments about her country’s military. The number of casualties has sharply declined over time; and last year there were only. 49 deaths.
A Thai Army statement said five soldiers were wounded when one of them stepped on a land mine in a border area.
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The incident drew a swift response from the Thai government. Acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai said the Foreign Ministry would make an official protest to Cambodia, and further measures would be considered.
The landmine incident on Wednesday a week after three other Thai soldiers were wounded after one stepped on a land mine and lost a foot in a different area along the border, which has several small areas claimed by both countries.
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Thai authorities say that the mines were newly laid along paths that by mutual agreement were supposed to be safe. They said the mines were Russian-made and not of a type employed by Thailand’s military.
The army statement called on Cambodia “to take responsibility for this incident, which constitutes a serious threat to peace and stability in the border region between the two countries.”
Cambodia rejected the Thai version of the events as “baseless accusations.” Defence Ministry spokesperson Lt Gen Maly Socheata said the landmine explosion took place on Cambodian territory and charged that Thailand had violated a 2000 agreement “regarding the use of agreed paths for patrols”.
Many border checkpoints had already been closed by one side or the other or operated with restrictions after relations between the neighbours deteriorated following an armed confrontation on May 28 in which one Cambodian soldier was killed in one of several small contested patches of land.
Efforts to defuse the situation have been hindered by the nationalist passions that flared in both countries. There is historical enmity between the two nations.
There have been major political consequences in Thailand, with former prime minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra suspended from office last month after making what critics saw as a disparaging comment about her country’s military in a phone call to Cambodia’s former Prime Minister Hun Sen, who leaked a recording of it.
Cambodia has denied that it laid new mines along the border, pointing out that many unexploded mines and other ordnance remain all over the country, a legacy of civil war and unrest that began in 1970 and ended only in 1998.
Since the end of that fighting, nearly 20,000 Cambodians have been killed and about 45,000 injured by leftover war explosives. The number of casualties has sharply declined over time; and last year there were only. 49 deaths. (AP)
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)
Thailand closes border with Cambodia, recalls ambassador as tensions flare after landmine blast
Thailand closes border with Cambodia, recalls ambassador as tensions flare after landmine blast. Acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai said the Foreign Ministry would make an official protest to Cambodia. Cambodia disputed that account, saying the blast happened in its Preah Vihear province. And it happened in one of several small patches of land along the border that both lay claim to and which is treated as a no-man’s land. It came a week after three other Thai soldiers were wounded when one of them stepped on a land mine and lost a foot.
Bangkok:
In a latest development to the border tensions, Thailand said it is closing northeastern border crossings with Cambodia, withdrawing its ambassador to the neighboring country and expelling the Cambodian ambassador to protest a landmine blast in which a Thai soldier lost a leg.
Thailand Army says four soldiers were wounded
The Thailand Army in a statement said that four other soldiers also were wounded on Wednesday when one of them stepped on a land mine that Thailand blamed on Cambodia and said took place in Thailand’s Ubon Ratchathani province.
However, Cambodia disputed that account, saying the blast happened in its Preah Vihear province. And it happened in one of several small patches of land along the border that both lay claim to and which is treated as a no-man’s land.
The explosion drew a swift response from the Thai government. Acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai said the Foreign Ministry would make an official protest to Cambodia, and further measures would be considered.
Second landmine blast in one week
The injuries in the landmine blast on Wednesday came a week after three other Thai soldiers were wounded when one of them stepped on a land mine and lost a foot in a different contested area along the border.
Thai authorities said that the mines were newly laid along paths that by mutual agreement were supposed to be safe. They said the mines were Russian-made and not of a type employed by Thailand’s military.
The Thailand Army in the statement called on Cambodia “to take responsibility for this incident, which constitutes a serious threat to peace and stability in the border region between the two countries.”
Thailand accuses Cambodia of violating Ottawa Treaty
After last week’s blast, Thailand accused Cambodia of violating the Ottawa Treaty, an international pact that bans the production and use of anti-personnel landmines.
Cambodia rejected the Thai version of the events as “baseless accusations.” However, Defense Ministry spokespesrson Lt. Gen. Maly Socheata said the landmine explosion took place on Cambodian territory and charged that Thailand had violated a 2000 agreement “regarding the use of agreed paths for patrols.”
(With inputs from AP)
Thai military reports clash with Cambodian troops at disputed border area
Cambodian troops opened fire in an area near the disputed Ta Moan Thom temple. The temple is located on the countries’ shared border in northwestern Cambodia. In May, a long-running border dispute between Thailand and Cambodia boiled over into military clashes that left one Cambodian soldier dead. The continuing border dispute has soured relations between the Southeast Asian neighbours, with the two sides trading barbs and tit-for-tat retaliatory measures.
In a statement, the Thai military said Cambodian troops opened fire in an area near the disputed Ta Moan Thom temple – located on the countries’ shared border in northwestern Cambodia’s Oddar Meanchey Province – early on Thursday.
It said Cambodia had deployed a surveillance drone before sending troops to the area with heavy weapons.
In May, a long-running border dispute between Thailand and Cambodia boiled over into military clashes that left one Cambodian soldier dead.
The continuing border dispute has soured relations between the Southeast Asian neighbours, with the two sides trading barbs and tit-for-tat retaliatory measures, including the closure of border crossings.
Cambodia has also blocked imports of fuel and gas, as well as fruit and vegetables, from Thailand.
Most recently, on Wednesday, a Thai soldier sustained injuries and lost his right leg in a landmine incident.
In response, Thailand’s governing Pheu Thai Party said it had recalled Thailand’s ambassador to Cambodia and will expel Cambodia’s ambassador from the country. Thailand has also downgraded diplomatic relations with Cambodia, the party said.
In response, Cambodia has withdrawn all of its diplomats from Thailand and ordered all Thai diplomats to leave the country.
The Cambodian government also downgraded diplomatic relations with Thailand to the “lowest level”, reducing it to the rank of “second secretary”, according to local news outlet the Phnom Penh Post.
Earlier, Thailand had accused Cambodia of placing landmines on the Thai side of the disputed border area between Thailand’s Ubon Ratchathani Province and Cambodia’s Preah Vihear Province, after three soldiers were injured while on a patrol on July 16.
Cambodia claims the soldiers, one of whom lost his foot in the explosion, veered off agreed routes and triggered a mine left behind from decades of war.
Thailand-Cambodia Border Dispute: Thai, Cambodian Soldiers Fire at Each Other in Contested Border Area As Tensions Escalate
Thai and Cambodian soldiers fired at each other in contested border area Thursday after the nations downgraded their diplomatic relations. A livestream video from Thailand’s side showed people running from their homes and hiding in a concrete bunker as explosions sounded periodically. Both Thailand and Cambodia accused each other of opening fire first. Relations between the Southeast Asian neighbours have deteriorated sharply since May when a Cambodian soldier was killed in an armed confrontation.
The clash happened in an area where the ancient Prasat Ta Muen Thom temple stands along the border of Thailand’s Surin province and Cambodia Oddar Meanchey province. Both Thailand and Cambodia accused each other of opening fire first. Earlier, Cambodia said it was downgrading diplomatic relations with Thailand to their lowest level and recalling all Cambodian staff from its embassy in Bangkok. Thailand and Cambodia Recall Ambassadors as Border Dispute Flares.
That was in response to Thailand closing its northeastern border crossings with Cambodia, withdrawing its ambassador and expelling the Cambodian ambassador to protest a land mine blast that wounded five Thai soldiers. Relations between the Southeast Asian neighbours have deteriorated sharply since May when a Cambodian soldier was killed in an armed confrontation in another of the several small patches of land both countries claim as their own territory.
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)