Thailand and Cambodia have exchanged fire on their border, sparking a sharp escalation in conflict that has left at least 12 people dead, mostly civilians, including two children aged eight and 15.
Both countries have accused each other of starting the fighting and have downgraded diplomatic ties since Wednesday. Thailand has also closed all land crossings on its border with Cambodia.
Relations between the Southeast Asian neighbours have deteriorated sharply since a clash in May that left a Cambodian soldier dead. Nationalist passions on both sides have further exacerbated the situation.
Thailand's military said the worst casualties were in Sisaket province, where six people were killed in a shooting at a petrol station. At least two dozen people were wounded in three border provinces.
Thailand's military said it carried out airstrikes on ground military targets in Cambodia on Thursday, and Cambodia's defense ministry said Thai planes dropped bombs on a road near the ancient temple of Preah Vihear.
Thai Defence Ministry spokesman Surasant Kongsiri said clashes were continuing in at least six areas along the border.
The first clash on Thursday morning occurred near the ancient Ta Muen Thom temple on the border of Surin province in Thailand and Oddar Meanchey province in Cambodia.
Video from Thailand showed people running out of their homes and hiding in a concrete bunker as explosions were heard.
Thailand's Foreign Ministry said Cambodia had attacked military and non-military targets in Thailand, including a hospital.
“The Royal Thai Government calls on Cambodia to take responsibility for the incidents that have occurred, stop attacking civilian and military targets and stop all actions that violate Thailand's sovereignty,” said ministry spokesman Nikorndey Balankura.
“The Royal Thai Government is prepared to strengthen self-defense measures if Cambodia continues its armed attack and violation of Thailand's sovereignty in accordance with international law and principles.”
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet said his country had always held a position of peaceful resolution of problems, but “we have no choice but to respond to armed aggression with armed force.”
Earlier on Thursday, Cambodia said it was downgrading diplomatic relations with Thailand to the lowest level, expelling Thailand's ambassador and recalling all Cambodian staff from its embassy in Bangkok.
It came in response to Thailand recalling its ambassador and expelling Cambodia's ambassador on Wednesday in protest over a landmine explosion that wounded five Thai soldiers.
Thailand's military said that during the initial clash on Thursday, its troops heard the sound of a drone and then saw six Cambodian soldiers approaching a Thai police station. The statement also said that the Thai soldiers tried to shout at them to defuse the situation, but the Cambodian side opened fire.
Cambodia's Defense Ministry also said Thailand had used the drone first before opening fire, and that Cambodia “acted strictly in self-defense in response to the unprovoked intrusion of Thai troops that violated our territorial integrity.”
The Thai embassy in Phnom Penh reported clashes in several border areas that could escalate. The embassy urged Thai citizens in Cambodia to leave the country if possible and advised others not to travel to Cambodia unless absolutely necessary.
On Wednesday, a mine explosion near the border wounded five Thai soldiers, one of whom lost a leg. A week earlier, a mine exploded in another disputed area, wounding three Thai soldiers.
Thai authorities say the mines were planted in new areas that were mutually agreed to be safe. They also say the mines were Russian-made and not the type used by the Thai military.
Cambodia has rejected Thailand's claims as “baseless accusations,” saying the vast number of unexploded mines and other ordnance are a legacy of 20th-century wars and unrest.
The border dispute has also had political repercussions in Thailand, where the prime minister was suspended amid an investigation into possible ethics violations over the issue.
Border disputes are a long-standing issue that periodically cause tension between the countries, with the most prominent and violent conflicts occurring around the thousand-year-old temple of Preah Vihear.
In 1962, the International Court of Justice recognized Cambodia's sovereignty over the temple site in a decision that became a major irritant in relations between the two countries.
Cambodia turned to the court again in 2011 after clashes left about 20 people dead, a decision the court upheld in 2013.
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
