Thailand launches air strikes against Cambodian military

Thailand launches air strikes against Cambodian military

BANGKOK: Thailand launched air strikes on its neighbour Cambodia on Monday, the Thai army said, with both sides trading blame for the latest eruption of fighting on their disputed border which killed a Thai soldier.

After Cambodian troops fired on Thai forces early Monday morning in Ubon Ratchathani province, “the Army received reports that Thai soldiers were attacked with supporting fire weapons, resulting in one soldier killed and four wounded”, Thai army spokesman Winthai Suvaree said in a statement.

Winthai also said Thailand had begun “using aircraft to strike military targets in several areas” to suppress attacks by Cambodian forces.

Cambodia’s defence ministry spokeswoman Maly Socheata said Thai forces launched an attack on Cambodian troops in the border provinces of Preah Vihear and Oddar Meanchey early Monday morning, accusing Thailand of “firing multiple shots with tanks at Tamone Thom temple” and other areas near Preah Vihear temple.

She said Cambodia did not retaliate.

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Met Measpheakdey, a Cambodian spokesman for the Oddar Meanchey provincial administration, said gunfire was reported in the areas of the centuries-old Tamone Thom and Ta Krabei temples, and a “number of villagers who live near the border are fleeing to safety”.

Thailand’s Second Army Region said in a statement that around 35,000 people in Thailand have been evacuated from areas along the border with Cambodia since the renewed fighting.

Both sides reported a brief skirmish on Sunday, which Thailand’s military had said left two soldiers wounded.

Five days of clashes erupted between Thailand and Cambodia this summer, killing 43 people and displacing around 300,000 before a truce took effect.

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The border dispute erupted into a five-day war in July before a ceasefire deal was brokered by Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and US President Donald Trump in October. The ceasefire was signed during the Asean summit in Kuala Lumpur in October.