Tensions escalate at the Thai-Cambodian border as military forces from both countries exchange fire near a disputed area. No casualties reported so far.
Tensions between the two neighbors escalated early Thursday when Thai and Cambodian troops engaged in gunfire at a disputed border point close to the ancient temple site of Prasat Ta Muen Thom in Thailand’s Surin province.
Following weeks of escalating tension and diplomatic disputes, Thailand and Cambodia are accusing one another of firing the first shots in armed clashes that broke out along a disputed area.
Tensions between the two neighbors escalated early Thursday when Thai and Cambodian troops engaged in gunfire at a disputed border point close to the ancient temple site of Prasat Ta Muen Thom in Thailand’s Surin province.
Following weeks of escalating tension and diplomatic disputes, Thailand and Cambodia are accusing one another of firing the first shots in armed clashes that broke out along a disputed area.
Following the injuries of three soldiers, Thailand accused Cambodia of deploying landmines on the Thai side of the disputed border area. However, Phnom Penh refuted the accusation, stating that the soldiers had deviated from approved routes and set off a mine that had been left in place from decades of conflict.
Thailand Requests Cambodian Citizens To Depart
As Thai and Cambodian troops clashed over a disputed border territory on Thursday, Thailand’s embassy in Phnom Penh encouraged its citizens to flee Cambodia.
In a Facebook post, the embassy advised Thais to depart Cambodia “as soon as possible” unless they had compelling reasons to stay.
Since a Cambodian soldier was murdered in an armed conflict in May on one of the very small areas of land that both nations claim as their own, relations between the neighbors in Southeast Asia have drastically deteriorated.
