Nine dead as Thai, Cambodian troops clash at border
The Thai army said the most casualties occurred in Si Sa Ket province, where six people were killed after shots were fired at a petrol station.
Those killed included an eight-year-old boy. A further 14 people in Thailand have been injured as a result of the fighting, the army said in a statement.
Earlier a Thai F-16 fighter jet bombed targets in Cambodia, destroying a military target.
Both countries accused each other of starting the clash early on Thursday.
"We have used air power against military targets as planned," Thai army deputy spokesperson Richa Suksuwanon told reporters.
Thailand has closed its border with Cambodia.
Cambodia's defence ministry said the jets dropped two bombs on a road, and accused its neighbour of opening fire on its troops and violating an agreement designed to de-escalate tension.
The skirmishes came after Thailand recalled its ambassador to Cambodia late on Wednesday and said it would expel Cambodia's envoy in Bangkok, after a second Thai soldier in the space of a week lost a limb to a landmine that Bangkok alleged had been laid recently in the disputed area.
Thai residents in the Surin border province fled to shelters built of concrete and fortified with sandbags and car tires as the two countries exchanged fire.
"How many rounds have been fired? It's countless," a woman told the Thai Public Broadcasting Service (TPBS) while hiding in the shelter with gunfire and explosions heard intermittently in the background.
Tensions were reignited in May following the killing of a Cambodian soldier during a brief exchange of gunfire, which escalated into a full-blown diplomatic crisis and now has triggered armed clashes.
The clashes began early on Thursday near the disputed Ta Moan Thom temple along the eastern border between Cambodia and Thailand, around 360km from the Thai capital Bangkok.
"Artillery shell fell on people's homes," Sutthirot Charoenthanasak, district chief of Kabcheing in Surin province, told Reuters, describing the firing by the Cambodian side.
Thailand's military said Cambodia deployed a surveillance drone before sending troops with heavy weapons to an area near the temple.
A spokesperson for Cambodia's defence ministry, however, said there had been an unprovoked incursion by Thai troops and Cambodian forces had responded in self-defence.
Thailand's acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai said the situation was delicate.
"We have to be careful," he told reporters. "We will follow international law."
Border disputes are longstanding issues that have caused periodic tensions between the countries.
The most prominent and violent conflicts have been around the 1000-year-old Preah Vihear temple.
In 1962, the International Court of Justice recognised Cambodian sovereignty over the temple area in a ruling that became a major irritant in the relations of both countries.
Cambodia went back to the court in 2011 after military clashes killed about 20 people. The court reaffirmed the ruling in 2013.
with AP
At least nine Thai civilians are dead after Thailand and Cambodia exchanged fire in a sharp escalation of their conflict over a disputed border area.
The Thai army said the most casualties occurred in Si Sa Ket province, where six people were killed after shots were fired at a petrol station.
Those killed included an eight-year-old boy. A further 14 people in Thailand have been injured as a result of the fighting, the army said in a statement.
Earlier a Thai F-16 fighter jet bombed targets in Cambodia, destroying a military target.
Both countries accused each other of starting the clash early on Thursday.
"We have used air power against military targets as planned," Thai army deputy spokesperson Richa Suksuwanon told reporters.
Thailand has closed its border with Cambodia.
Cambodia's defence ministry said the jets dropped two bombs on a road, and accused its neighbour of opening fire on its troops and violating an agreement designed to de-escalate tension.
The skirmishes came after Thailand recalled its ambassador to Cambodia late on Wednesday and said it would expel Cambodia's envoy in Bangkok, after a second Thai soldier in the space of a week lost a limb to a landmine that Bangkok alleged had been laid recently in the disputed area.
Thai residents in the Surin border province fled to shelters built of concrete and fortified with sandbags and car tires as the two countries exchanged fire.
"How many rounds have been fired? It's countless," a woman told the Thai Public Broadcasting Service (TPBS) while hiding in the shelter with gunfire and explosions heard intermittently in the background.
Tensions were reignited in May following the killing of a Cambodian soldier during a brief exchange of gunfire, which escalated into a full-blown diplomatic crisis and now has triggered armed clashes.
The clashes began early on Thursday near the disputed Ta Moan Thom temple along the eastern border between Cambodia and Thailand, around 360km from the Thai capital Bangkok.
"Artillery shell fell on people's homes," Sutthirot Charoenthanasak, district chief of Kabcheing in Surin province, told Reuters, describing the firing by the Cambodian side.
Thailand's military said Cambodia deployed a surveillance drone before sending troops with heavy weapons to an area near the temple.
A spokesperson for Cambodia's defence ministry, however, said there had been an unprovoked incursion by Thai troops and Cambodian forces had responded in self-defence.
Thailand's acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai said the situation was delicate.
"We have to be careful," he told reporters. "We will follow international law."
Border disputes are longstanding issues that have caused periodic tensions between the countries.
The most prominent and violent conflicts have been around the 1000-year-old Preah Vihear temple.
In 1962, the International Court of Justice recognised Cambodian sovereignty over the temple area in a ruling that became a major irritant in the relations of both countries.
Cambodia went back to the court in 2011 after military clashes killed about 20 people. The court reaffirmed the ruling in 2013.
with AP
At least nine Thai civilians are dead after Thailand and Cambodia exchanged fire in a sharp escalation of their conflict over a disputed border area.
The Thai army said the most casualties occurred in Si Sa Ket province, where six people were killed after shots were fired at a petrol station.
Those killed included an eight-year-old boy. A further 14 people in Thailand have been injured as a result of the fighting, the army said in a statement.
Earlier a Thai F-16 fighter jet bombed targets in Cambodia, destroying a military target.
Both countries accused each other of starting the clash early on Thursday.
"We have used air power against military targets as planned," Thai army deputy spokesperson Richa Suksuwanon told reporters.
Thailand has closed its border with Cambodia.
Cambodia's defence ministry said the jets dropped two bombs on a road, and accused its neighbour of opening fire on its troops and violating an agreement designed to de-escalate tension.
The skirmishes came after Thailand recalled its ambassador to Cambodia late on Wednesday and said it would expel Cambodia's envoy in Bangkok, after a second Thai soldier in the space of a week lost a limb to a landmine that Bangkok alleged had been laid recently in the disputed area.
Thai residents in the Surin border province fled to shelters built of concrete and fortified with sandbags and car tires as the two countries exchanged fire.
"How many rounds have been fired? It's countless," a woman told the Thai Public Broadcasting Service (TPBS) while hiding in the shelter with gunfire and explosions heard intermittently in the background.
Tensions were reignited in May following the killing of a Cambodian soldier during a brief exchange of gunfire, which escalated into a full-blown diplomatic crisis and now has triggered armed clashes.
The clashes began early on Thursday near the disputed Ta Moan Thom temple along the eastern border between Cambodia and Thailand, around 360km from the Thai capital Bangkok.
"Artillery shell fell on people's homes," Sutthirot Charoenthanasak, district chief of Kabcheing in Surin province, told Reuters, describing the firing by the Cambodian side.
Thailand's military said Cambodia deployed a surveillance drone before sending troops with heavy weapons to an area near the temple.
A spokesperson for Cambodia's defence ministry, however, said there had been an unprovoked incursion by Thai troops and Cambodian forces had responded in self-defence.
Thailand's acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai said the situation was delicate.
"We have to be careful," he told reporters. "We will follow international law."
Border disputes are longstanding issues that have caused periodic tensions between the countries.
The most prominent and violent conflicts have been around the 1000-year-old Preah Vihear temple.
In 1962, the International Court of Justice recognised Cambodian sovereignty over the temple area in a ruling that became a major irritant in the relations of both countries.
Cambodia went back to the court in 2011 after military clashes killed about 20 people. The court reaffirmed the ruling in 2013.
with AP
At least nine Thai civilians are dead after Thailand and Cambodia exchanged fire in a sharp escalation of their conflict over a disputed border area.
The Thai army said the most casualties occurred in Si Sa Ket province, where six people were killed after shots were fired at a petrol station.
Those killed included an eight-year-old boy. A further 14 people in Thailand have been injured as a result of the fighting, the army said in a statement.
Earlier a Thai F-16 fighter jet bombed targets in Cambodia, destroying a military target.
Both countries accused each other of starting the clash early on Thursday.
"We have used air power against military targets as planned," Thai army deputy spokesperson Richa Suksuwanon told reporters.
Thailand has closed its border with Cambodia.
Cambodia's defence ministry said the jets dropped two bombs on a road, and accused its neighbour of opening fire on its troops and violating an agreement designed to de-escalate tension.
The skirmishes came after Thailand recalled its ambassador to Cambodia late on Wednesday and said it would expel Cambodia's envoy in Bangkok, after a second Thai soldier in the space of a week lost a limb to a landmine that Bangkok alleged had been laid recently in the disputed area.
Thai residents in the Surin border province fled to shelters built of concrete and fortified with sandbags and car tires as the two countries exchanged fire.
"How many rounds have been fired? It's countless," a woman told the Thai Public Broadcasting Service (TPBS) while hiding in the shelter with gunfire and explosions heard intermittently in the background.
Tensions were reignited in May following the killing of a Cambodian soldier during a brief exchange of gunfire, which escalated into a full-blown diplomatic crisis and now has triggered armed clashes.
The clashes began early on Thursday near the disputed Ta Moan Thom temple along the eastern border between Cambodia and Thailand, around 360km from the Thai capital Bangkok.
"Artillery shell fell on people's homes," Sutthirot Charoenthanasak, district chief of Kabcheing in Surin province, told Reuters, describing the firing by the Cambodian side.
Thailand's military said Cambodia deployed a surveillance drone before sending troops with heavy weapons to an area near the temple.
A spokesperson for Cambodia's defence ministry, however, said there had been an unprovoked incursion by Thai troops and Cambodian forces had responded in self-defence.
Thailand's acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai said the situation was delicate.
"We have to be careful," he told reporters. "We will follow international law."
Border disputes are longstanding issues that have caused periodic tensions between the countries.
The most prominent and violent conflicts have been around the 1000-year-old Preah Vihear temple.
In 1962, the International Court of Justice recognised Cambodian sovereignty over the temple area in a ruling that became a major irritant in the relations of both countries.
Cambodia went back to the court in 2011 after military clashes killed about 20 people. The court reaffirmed the ruling in 2013.
with AP
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Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet and Thailand's acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai had agreed on Monday to an "unconditional" halt in fighting that have killed at least 41 people. The meeting was hosted by Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim as annual chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. He called the ceasefire a "vital first step towards de-escalation and the restoration of peace and security". Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the US applauded the ceasefire declaration. "President (Donald) Trump and I are committed to an immediate cessation of violence and expect the governments of Cambodia and Thailand to fully honor their commitments to end this conflict," Rubio said in a statement. Hun Manet said on Tuesday that Trump had called to offer congratulations for the peace move. He posted on social media that Trump pledged the US would join the monitoring process along with Malaysia to ensure the ceasefire is implemented. Trump also called Phumtham after his return to Bangkok. Phumtham said Trump told him that Thailand's talks with Washington to negotiate tariff levels on Thai exports could now proceed and he would seek to make them as favourable as possible. The ceasefire comes days before the US is expected to announce new trade tariff decisions. Cambodia and Thailand have both been two of the hardest-hit countries as a result of Trump's trade war, with 36 per cent tariff on goods from both countries taking effect this coming Friday. Trump had warned the US might not proceed with trade deals with either country if hostilities continued, giving both sides a face-saving justification for halting the clashes. Cambodia and Thailand have clashed in the past over their 800km border. The fighting began on Thursday after a land mine explosion along the border wounded five Thai soldiers. Tensions had been growing since May when a Cambodian soldier was killed in a confrontation that created a diplomatic rift and roiled Thailand's domestic politics. Residents on both sides of the border expressed relief about the ceasefire but remained wary, unsure how long the peace would last. A ceasefire between Thailand and Cambodia appears to be holding as tensions linger despite a truce agreement to end deadly border clashes following economic pressure from the United States. The ceasefire that was reached in Malaysia on Monday was supposed to take effect at midnight, but was quickly tested. The Thai army accused Cambodia of launching attacks in multiple areas early on Tuesday but Cambodia said there was no firing in any location. The Thai army later said fighting has stopped after military commanders along the border from both sides met. They agreed to halt troop movements, avoid escalation and establish co-ordination teams before a joint border committee meeting in Cambodia on August 4, army spokesman Major General Winthai Suvaree said. Cambodian Defence Minister Tea Seiha said he spoke to his Thai counterpart about "incidents" that occurred during the implementation of the ceasefire but stressed the Cambodian army abided by the truce. He said Cambodian defence officials would lead a delegation of diplomats, foreign military attaches and others to observe the situation. The Thai government separately said it has lodged complaints to Malaysia, the US and China about Cambodia's alleged breach of the ceasefire agreement. Along the border, there were signs of calm with some of the more than 260,000 people displaced by the fighting returning to their homes. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet and Thailand's acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai had agreed on Monday to an "unconditional" halt in fighting that have killed at least 41 people. The meeting was hosted by Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim as annual chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. He called the ceasefire a "vital first step towards de-escalation and the restoration of peace and security". Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the US applauded the ceasefire declaration. "President (Donald) Trump and I are committed to an immediate cessation of violence and expect the governments of Cambodia and Thailand to fully honor their commitments to end this conflict," Rubio said in a statement. Hun Manet said on Tuesday that Trump had called to offer congratulations for the peace move. He posted on social media that Trump pledged the US would join the monitoring process along with Malaysia to ensure the ceasefire is implemented. Trump also called Phumtham after his return to Bangkok. Phumtham said Trump told him that Thailand's talks with Washington to negotiate tariff levels on Thai exports could now proceed and he would seek to make them as favourable as possible. The ceasefire comes days before the US is expected to announce new trade tariff decisions. Cambodia and Thailand have both been two of the hardest-hit countries as a result of Trump's trade war, with 36 per cent tariff on goods from both countries taking effect this coming Friday. Trump had warned the US might not proceed with trade deals with either country if hostilities continued, giving both sides a face-saving justification for halting the clashes. Cambodia and Thailand have clashed in the past over their 800km border. The fighting began on Thursday after a land mine explosion along the border wounded five Thai soldiers. Tensions had been growing since May when a Cambodian soldier was killed in a confrontation that created a diplomatic rift and roiled Thailand's domestic politics. Residents on both sides of the border expressed relief about the ceasefire but remained wary, unsure how long the peace would last.
