Thailand launches airstrikes along disputed border with Cambodia as tensions flare | Thailand

Thailand has launched airstrikes along its disputed border with Cambodia after both countries accused each other of violating a ceasefire agreement brokered by Donald Trump.

The Thai army said airstrikes were launched after one soldier died and four others were injured in clashes along the country’s tense border on Monday morning. Thailand’s air force said it used aircraft to hit military targets in various regions, accusing Cambodia of mobilizing heavy weapons and repositioning combat units.

Cambodia’s national defense ministry said Thai forces launched an attack on Cambodian troops on Monday morning, blaming Thailand for the latest tension and adding that Cambodia did not retaliate despite “days of provocative actions”.

The clashes took place just six weeks after Trump oversaw the signing of a ceasefire agreement he brokered to end a five-day war that broke out in July. At least 48 people died in the conflict and 300,000 people were forced to flee their homes.

Hun Sen, the still highly influential former prime minister of Cambodia and the father of current leader Hun Manet, called on his country’s forces to exercise restraint, saying Thailand was trying to “retaliate against us”.

“The red line of response has already been determined. I call on commanders at all levels to train all officers and soldiers accordingly,” Hun Sen said in a Facebook post.

On Sunday, the Thai military ordered the evacuation of some villages in four border provinces, with about 35,000 villages currently registered in shelters. Thai army spokesman Winthai Suvaree said: “Thai soldiers were attacked with firearms, resulting in the death of one soldier and injuries to four soldiers.”

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

Anwar Ibrahim, the Malaysian prime minister who helped broker the initial ceasefire, called on Thailand and Cambodia to exercise restraint and warned that the conflict risked undoing the careful work that went into the ceasefire he helped broker.

“We call on both sides to exercise maximum restraint, maintain open communication channels and make full use of existing mechanisms,” Anwar, chairman of the Asean regional bloc, said in an online post.