BANGKOKA: Tensions that have been building for months have quickly escalated as confirmed fights have broken out between Thailand and Cambodia in long-disputed border areas.
While driving homes close to the border, the violence has resulted in at least 14 deaths in Thailand and one in Cambodia, as well as several injuries. Thailand also launched airstrikes on Cambodia.
Suggested Videos
Hours after a land mine explosion wounded Thai soldiers, the two nations engaged in their second military conflict since then, marking a significant escalation.
Conflicts were reported by the Thai military on Friday at points along the border close to four Thai provinces.
Here are some facts on the conflict between the two neighbors in Southeast Asia.
How the conflict started
After Thai and Cambodian forces engaged in combat in a disputed, small border region that each nation claims as its own, the conflict erupted in May.
Both parties claimed that their actions were self-defense. There was one Cambodian soldier slain.
Although the nations later claimed to have reached a de-escalation agreement, tensions remained high as Thai and Cambodian officials persisted in threatening or using non-armed force measures.
The border between Thailand and Cambodia is now strictly regulated, with the exception of students, medical patients, and those with basic necessities. Thai officials declared they were completely closing the border on Thursday.
banned some of its neighbors’ international power supplies and internet connections, and halted the importation of Thai gasoline, fruits, and vegetables.
Political unrest in Thailand is sparked by fighting.
The issue has been exacerbated by nationalist fervor on both sides.
Thailand’s handling of the border conflict after a leaked phone conversation with a senior Cambodian leader led to her suspension from office on July 1st while she was probed for potential ethics violations.
During the June call, Paetongtarn attacked Thai military leadership and called the previous prime minister of Cambodia an uncle, both of which critics said were disrespectful to national sovereignty.
Although his son Hun Manet succeeded him in 2023, Hun Sen is still a powerful Senate president. Her father, a well-liked but polarizing former prime minister, had been friends with him for a long time, but they lost contact because of the border conflict.
Protests and considerable indignation were triggered by the leaked call. The Bhumjaithai Party, Paetongtarn’s second-largest ally, dropped its support, citing her alleged leniency toward Cambodia, further weakening the coalition led by the Pheu Thai party.
Paetongtarn has expressed regret and said that her remarks were a negotiation ploy. The acting prime minister was her buddy, the former defense minister.
Periodically, tensions arise due to border claims.
Tensions have occasionally arisen between the two neighbors due to long-standing border disputes. The land border between Thailand and Cambodia is more than 800 kilometers (500 miles) long.
The main source of the disputed claims is a map created in 1907 to divide Cambodia from Thailand while France was still a colony. Thailand has claimed the map is erroneous, while Cambodia has been using it as a reference to assert territorial claims.
These have been the most well-known and bloody conflicts.
The International Court of Justice granted Cambodia sovereignty over the temple region in 1962. The decision became a significant source of friction between the two countries.
After multiple conflicts between its army and Thai forces that left thousands displaced and killed roughly 20 people, Cambodia returned to the court in 2011. In 2013, the court upheld the decision in Cambodia’s favor.
Thailand has denied the court’s jurisdiction, despite Cambodia’s repeated appeals to the international court to settle the border issues.
