Truce under threat as Thai-Cambodia fighting reignites

Thailand said its warplanes struck Cambodia in a bid to weaken Cambodia’s military capacity as a resurgence of border hostilities derailed a fragile ceasefire brokered by US President Donald Trump.

Both sides blamed the other for starting clashes that broke out overnight, intensified before dawn and spread to several locations, resulting in the killing of a Thai soldier and four Cambodian civilians, according to officials.

Cambodia accused Thailand of “inhumane and cruel acts” and emphasized that it did not retaliate, while Bangkok said it launched airstrikes on military targets after its neighbor mobilized heavy weapons and repositioned combat units.

“The army’s aim is to cripple Cambodia’s military capacity for a long time for the safety of our children and grandchildren,” Thai army chief of staff General Chaipruak Doungprapat said, according to the military. he said.

The clashes were the fiercest since a five-day exchange of rockets and artillery in July that left at least 48 people killed and 300,000 displaced before Trump intervened to broker a ceasefire. This marked the heaviest fighting in recent history.

Tensions have been rising since Thailand last month suspended de-escalation measures adopted at a summit attended by Trump after a Thai soldier was injured by a mine that Bangkok said was newly laid by Cambodia.

Some of the mines that have injured seven Thai soldiers since July were likely newly laid, Reuters reported in October, based on expert analysis of materials shared by the Thai military.

Cambodia denied laying mines, and Thailand said it would not enforce ceasefire terms until Cambodia apologized.

Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said on Monday that his government will do whatever is necessary to preserve territorial integrity and will not engage in dialogue with Cambodia.

“There will be no talks. If the hostilities are to end, (Cambodia) must do what Thailand has determined,” he said, without elaborating.

Cambodia’s defense ministry said its forces had come under constant attack but that they were adhering to a ceasefire and did not retaliate.

“Cambodia calls on the international community to strongly condemn Thailand’s violations, as well as demanding that Thailand take full responsibility for such brazen acts of aggression,” the statement said.

The Thai military said Cambodia used drones to drop bombs on Thai bases and fired truck-mounted BM-21 rockets at civilian areas.

A Thai military official told Reuters that the targets in the airstrikes included long-range Chinese-made rockets.

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, head of ASEAN, the regional bloc that helped Trump broker the ceasefire, called for calm and for communication channels to remain open.

“Renewed conflicts risk undoing the careful work done to stabilize relations,” Anwar said in an X post.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on Thailand and Cambodia to act with restraint and avoid further escalation of tensions, adding: “The United Nations is ready to support all efforts aimed at promoting peace and stability.

Hun Sen, Cambodia’s former leader and influential father of current prime minister Hun Manet, said the Thai military was trying to provoke a retaliatory response.

“All frontline forces must remain patient as attackers fire all kinds of weapons,” he said on Facebook.

Thailand evacuated 438,000 civilians in five border provinces, and authorities in Cambodia said hundreds of thousands of people had been moved to safety. The Thai army reported that 18 soldiers were injured, while the Cambodian government reported that 9 civilians were injured.