Latest news with #Thai military
Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Thailand accuses Cambodia of violating hours-old ceasefire
Thailand has accused Cambodia of "deliberately" violating a ceasefire the two countries agreed on Monday to end border clashes that have killed at least 33 people and displaced thousands. It's a shaky start for the ceasefire, which is aimed at bringing an end to five days of bombardment and rocket attacks along their shared border. The Thai military says it stopped firing after midnight, but that it continued to receive gunfire from the Cambodian side "at multiple locations" up until this morning. But Cambodia's defence ministry told the AFP news agency that there had been "no armed clashes" between the two sides since the ceasefire began at midnight. Despite the accusations, meetings between local commanders from both sides took place earlier on Tuesday as part of the ceasefire agreement. They agreed to stop shooting and halt the movement of troops on the frontline. They will also allow each other to collect their dead. Tensions between the South East Asian countries over their century-old disputed border ramped up in May when a Cambodian soldier was killed in a clash. They escalated into a full-scale conflict last week after five Thai soldiers were injured in a landmine explosion. Thailand closed some of its border crossings, expelled the Cambodian ambassador and recalled its own from Phnom Penh. After the two sides exchanged gunfire early last Thursday, Cambodia fired multiple rockets into Thailand, killing several civilians. More civilians died on both sides in the following days, and tens of thousands more were evacuated to shelters. Intense exchanges of fire between the two armies continued up to midnight on Monday, the deadline for the ceasefire, with Thailand launching more air strikes on Cambodian positions. But on Tuesday morning, before Thailand alleged the ceasefire had been violated, Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Manet said that the "frontlines have eased" since midnight. Under the ceasefire agreement, both sides are meant to pull back their armies and accept some kind of independent monitoring to prevent further clashes. Hun Manet and his Thai counterpart Phumtham Wechayachai had met on Monday in Malaysia in a meeting brokered by its leader Anwar Ibrahim. An outgunned Cambodia had been pushing for a ceasefire and its leader called it a "very good meeting". Thailand, which had initially been reluctant to negotiate, agreed to the talks after US President Donald Trump threatened to halt negotiations over tariffs until Thailand and Cambodia stopped fighting. A dispute going back decades Relations between Thailand and Cambodia took a turn for the worse in 2008 when Cambodia tried to register an 11th Century temple located in the disputed area as a Unesco World Heritage Site - a move that was met with heated protest from Thailand. Over the years there have been sporadic clashes that have seen soldiers and civilians killed on both sides. When tensions ramped up in May, the relationship between the two countries hit its lowest point in more than a decade. In the past two months, both countries have imposed border restrictions on one another. Cambodia banned imports from Thailand such as fruits and vegetables, and stopped importing power and internet services. Both countries have also strengthened their troop presence along the border in recent weeks. Why are Thailand and Cambodia fighting at the border? Thailand and Cambodia agree to 'immediate ceasefire' The fractured friendship behind the fight at the Thailand-Cambodia border
Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Thailand accuses Cambodia of violating hours-old ceasefire
Thailand has accused Cambodia of "deliberately" violating a ceasefire the two countries had agreed on Monday to end border clashes that have killed at least 33 people and displaced thousands. It's a shaky start for the ceasefire, which was meant to bring an end to five days of bombardment and rocket attacks along the shared border. The Thai military says it stopped firing after midnight, but that it continued to receive gunfire from the Cambodian side "at multiple locations" up until this morning. But Cambodia's defence ministry told the AFP news agency there had been "no armed clashes" between the two sides since the ceasefire began at midnight. A meeting between local commanders which was part of the ceasefire agreement has been postponed twice, and may not happen at all. Tensions between the South East Asian countries over their century-old disputed border ramped up in May when a Cambodian soldier was killed in a clash. They escalated into a full-scale conflict last week after five Thai soldiers were injured in a landmine explosion. Thailand closed some of its border crossings, expelled the Cambodian ambassador and recalled its own from Phnom Penh. After the two sides exchanged gunfire early on Thursday, Cambodia fired multiple rockets into Thailand, killing several civilians. More civilians died on both sides in the following days, and tens of thousands more were evacuated to shelters. Intense exchanges of fire between the two armies continued up to midnight on Monday, the deadline for the ceasefire, with Thailand launching more air strikes on Cambodian positions. But on Tuesday morning, before Thailand alleged the ceasefire had been violated, Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Manet said that the "frontlines have eased" since midnight. Under the agreement, both sides had agreed to pull back their armies and to accept some kind of independent monitoring to prevent further clashes. Hun Manet and his Thai counterpart Phumtham Wechayachai had met on Monday in Malaysia in a meeting brokered by its leader Anwar Ibrahim. An outgunned Cambodia had been pushing for a ceasefire and its leader called it a very good meeting. Thailand, which had initially been reluctant to negotiate, agreed after US President Donald Trump threatened to halt talks over tariffs until Thailand and Cambodia stopped fighting. A dispute going back decades In fact, the argument between Thailand and Cambodia dates back more than a century, when the borders of the two nations were drawn after the French occupation of Cambodia. Things officially became hostile in 2008, when Cambodia tried to register an 11th Century temple located in the disputed area as a Unesco World Heritage Site - a move that was met with heated protest from Thailand. Over the years there have been sporadic clashes that have seen soldiers and civilians killed on both sides. The latest tensions ramped up in May after a Cambodian soldier was killed in a clash. This plunged bilateral ties to their lowest point in more than a decade. In the past two months, both countries have imposed border restrictions on one another. Cambodia banned imports from Thailand such as fruits and vegetables, and stopped importing power and internet services. Both countries have also strengthened troop presence along the border in recent weeks. Why are Thailand and Cambodia fighting at the border? Thailand and Cambodia agree to 'immediate ceasefire' The fractured friendship behind the fight at the Thailand-Cambodia border
France 24
4 days ago
- Politics
- France 24
Death toll rises on Thai-Cambodian border on third day of fighting
02:14 26/07/2025 Taiwan votes in high-stakes recall election that might oust China-friendly party Asia / Pacific 25/07/2025 Thailand and Cambodia clash: A border dispute fuelled by nationalism Asia / Pacific 25/07/2025 Thai-Cambodian tensions escalate amid internal rift between Thai military & military-linked parties Asia / Pacific 25/07/2025 Thai-Cambodian border fighting enters second day Asia / Pacific 25/07/2025 More than 140,000 flee as Thai, Cambodian border clashes escalate Asia / Pacific 25/07/2025 100,000 flee Thai-Cambodian border as troops clash for second day Asia / Pacific 24/07/2025 Thailand-Cambodia border crisis traces roots 'to pre-colonial Southeast Asia" Asia / Pacific 24/07/2025 EU-China ties hit 'inflection point' and calls climate chage 'a priority' Europe
Arab News
5 days ago
- Politics
- Arab News
Over 130,000 people displaced as deadly Thailand-Cambodia clashes enter 2nd day
BANGKOK/PHNOM PENH: Thailand and Cambodia exchanged fire along their disputed border for a second day on Friday, as their worst fighting in years killed at least 15 people and displaced more than 130,000. The fighting between the Southeast Asian neighbors is the latest in a history of disputes that dates back more than a century, to when Cambodia's former colonial ruler France first mapped the 800-km shared land border. Both countries have blamed each other for starting a clash on Thursday near Prasat Ta Muen Thom, an ancient temple claimed by both nations. It quickly escalated from small arms fire to heavy shelling, with hostilities spreading to various locations along the border, marking a shift from usually brief confrontations that only rarely involved the use of weapons. At least 14 people were killed, 46 others injured and more than 138,000 displaced in Thailand, the Thai military said. In Cambodia, around 2,400 families have been evacuated after the fighting killed one person and injured five others in Oddar Meanchey province, Meth Meas Pheakday, spokeswoman for the provincial administration, said on Friday. Acting Thai PM Phumtham Wechayachai said Thailand has 'exercised utmost restraint' against provocations and chose 'peaceful means' in its responses. 'Our beloved Thailand is currently facing a severe threat from Cambodia … It is profoundly disappointing that the Cambodian side chose to initiate military force. Their actions blatantly violate international law and humanitarian principles through indiscriminate attacks on hospitals and civilian residential areas, extending more than 20 kilometers beyond the border … We consider these acts to be severe war crimes,' he said in a statement on Friday. 'I must emphasize that this incident is not a conflict between the peoples of our two nations, nor is it a declaration of war. It is a border clash undertaken to protect our sovereignty and respond to aggression.' Thailand has also responded to the alleged attacks by sending F-16 jets to strike targets in Cambodia. On Friday, Thailand had fired at seven sites in Cambodia, according to Maly Socheata, a spokeswoman for the Cambodian Ministry of National Defense. The clashes this week followed months of tension along the border, which began when troops exchanged fire in contested territory in May, killing a Cambodian soldier. Ties deteriorated further after Cambodia's powerful former leader Hun Sen leaked a private phone call with Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra about the border tensions, sparking public anger that led to her suspension from duties earlier this month. The crisis further escalated on Wednesday, when five Thai soldiers were injured by a land mine explosion near Prasat Ta Muen Thom, prompting both sides to recall their ambassadors. 'This tense situation cannot be ended swiftly with armed clashes; it needs diplomatic mechanisms and international law,' Vann Bunna, a Cambodian geopolitical expert, told Arab News. 'Since as of now there's no signal of negotiations, it's prompting the worst situation, leading to devastation of both human life and infrastructure. This not only provokes insecurity in both countries but also affects the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) security region geopolitically.' The last time that Cambodia and Thailand fired on each other's territories was during a three-year border conflict that ended in 2011 and killed 20 people on both sides of the border. The root of this week's border violence can be traced back to the 'discord between Thaksin and Hun Sen,' according to Pavin Chachavalpongpun, an associate professor at the Center for Southeast Asian Studies at Japan's Kyoto University Thaksin Shinawatra, Paetongtarn's father and the former prime minister of Thailand, had a decades-long personal relationship with the Cambodian strongman. 'The border has come many times in the past, but Hun Sen's decision to leak a personal conversation with Paetongtarn, which led to her suspension from serving as prime minister, was a clear betrayal of personal relationships,' Chachavalpongpun said in a statement. 'When the personal relationship between the leaders of both countries is broken, it (becomes) harder … to find a way out.'
