Thailand accused Cambodia of breaking a fresh deal just hours after both nations agreed to halt border fighting. The Thai army claimed Cambodian troops fired into Thai territory shortly after midnight violating the newly signed peace agreement.
Army spokesperson Winthai Suvaree said Thai forces responded appropriately and in self defence to the continued armed attacks from Cambodia. He added that the assaults targeted several locations within Thai borders unconditional ceasefire starting at midnight Monday aiming to end five days of deadly violence.
The recent border clashes killed at least 38 people and people and forced nearly 300,000 civilians to flee their homes near the frontier. Despite Thai accusations, Cambodian defence officials insisted that no gunfire had occurred since the ceasefire took effect at midnight.
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet stated on Facebook that the front lines had remained quiet since the truce began. Meanwhile acting Thai Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai downplayed the tensions saying the situation remained calm and under control.
He confirmed that he spoke with Cambodia’s defense and eventually postponed it to a new time, Thai officials reported. Journalists on both sides of the border noted a blasting reduction with no reports of overnight exchanges by Tuesday morning.
Still the Thai military said it recorded several small clashes along the 800km border despite the truce being in place. The ceasefire followed rising tensions in May when a Cambodian soldier was killed during a brief skirmish with Thai troops.
Fighting intensified last week after a landmine wounded 5 Thai soldiers prompting Thailand to expel Cambodia’s ambassador. Cambodia responded with rocket fire that killed civilians in Thailand, worsening a long standing dispute over the border area.
