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Thai-Cambodian conflict: 12 Thais die amid ground clashes and airstrikes
Cambodia accuses Thailand of opening fire. The territorial dispute once again involves the area around the Ta Muen Thom and Preah Vihear temples. Since late May, tensions between the two Southeast Asian countries have increased, both of which are also grappling with domestic issues. China has offered to mediate.
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Bangkok/Phnom Penh (AsiaNews) – The territorial dispute between Thailand and Cambodia, which broke out on 28 May with the death of two Cambodian soldiers near the Ta Muen Thom temple, along Thailand's eastern border in Surin province, has flared up again.
This morning, around 8:00 am, the Thai army reported Cambodian troops crossing into Thai territory, preceded by a drone overflight followed by heavy artillery fire from several villages near the border.
The border in this area is still the subject of negotiations and is still waiting for bilateral recognition.
According to Bangkok, the Cambodian army opened fire on a Thai armed forces base and the ruins of the Ta Muen Thom temple, with rockets fired at barracks and residential areas. Several people were wounded.
Thai sources also report that Cambodian artillery hit Phanom Dong Rak Hospital in Surin province. In response, Thai F-16 fighter jets struck two Cambodian military posts.
As the day progressed, the Thai death toll rose. Thailand’s Ministry of Health has confirmed the deaths of at least 12 people, including a child and other minors. While Cambodia has not yet released an official casualty figures.
Cambodian authorities accuse Thailand of firing first, prompting the armed response. In a message posted on Facebook, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet said that Thai forces attacked Cambodian positions near the long-disputed Preah Vihear and Ta Krabei temples, scene of past clashes due to their historical and religious significance.
The Thai government has ordered the evacuation of the affected areas and urged its citizens in Cambodia to leave immediately.
Amid an increasingly tense diplomatic climate, Bangkok expelled Cambodian diplomats and recalled its own personnel from the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh, after a mine exploded, injuring five Thai soldiers on Wednesday.
According to Thai authorities, the mine was planted recently.
Faced with an escalation, the Thai government has expressed its willingness to seek a diplomatic solution to deescalate tensions, while calling on the UN to have the anti-personnel landmines ban respected.
However, Cambodia has interpreted this initiative as a provocation, especially after Cambodia's proposal to involve the International Court of Justice to resolve the dispute was rejected by Thailand.
Various scenarios are now possible. Phnom Penh has already announced that it will introduce compulsory military service starting next year, while in Bangkok the possibility of revising the force reduction plan already agreed upon with the military leadership is being discussed.
The crisis, however, comes at a time of domestic political uncertainty in both countries.
In Thailand, the border tensions coincide with the opening of an investigation into Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, who temporarily stepped back from her post, after the release of a recording in which she is heard complaining about her military to former Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen.
In Cambodia, experts point to the growing nationalism promoted by Prime Minister Hun Manet as a factor fuelling bellicose rhetoric.
The situation is raising serious concerns across the region. China, a longtime ally of both countries, has called for an end to hostilities and offered itself as a possible mediator.
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