Thailand And Cambodia Are Fighting Again Along Their Border, Killing 20 People, Despite A Ceasefire In July
On Dec. 7, Thailand’s military accused Cambodian forces of attacking Thai troops and injuring two soldiers, while Cambodia accused Thailand of using tanks and artillery.
Clashes broke out again between Thailand and Cambodia on Monday, Dec. 8, killing at least 20 people, according to Al Jazeera.
The latest clashes came just months after the two countries’ five-day border war in July, when 38 people were killed and more than 300,000 others were forced to flee their homes.
That fighting ended on July 28 after Thailand and Cambodia agreed to a ceasefire brokered by US president Donald Trump.
The conflict goes back to colonial times in 1907, when France drew the border between Siam — now Thailand — and French Indochina, which became Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos.
After Cambodia became independent from France in 1954, the International Court of Justice ruled in 1962 that Preah Vihear Temple belonged to Cambodia, but did not define the land surrounding it.
The unclear boundary led to repeated clashes between the two countries, including on May 28, when troops on both sides exchanged fire for about 10 minutes, killing one Cambodian soldier.
Tensions escalated further after a leaked phone call revealed thatThailand’s prime minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra had called Cambodia’s former prime minister Hun Sen “uncle” and urged him not to listen to a senior Thai commander.
However, in November, Thailand suspended the implementation of the peace deal after a landmine explosion injured Thai soldiers near the border.
On Dec. 7, Thailand’s military accused Cambodian forces of attacking Thai troops and injuring two soldiers, while Cambodia accused Thailand of using tanks and artillery and said 11 civilians were killed, including an infant.
Trump, who oversaw the ceasefire signing in October, said on Wednesday, Dec. 10, that he would call the leaders to end the Thai-Cambodia border war “pretty quickly”.
The fighting has entered its fifth day, and has since forced more than 500,000 people to flee.
Flavie Chen
Kassy Cho
Kassy Cho
