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Why are Thailand and Cambodia fighting along their border?

BreakingNews.ie

4 days ago

Politics
BreakingNews.ie

Why are Thailand and Cambodia fighting along their border?

Thailand and Cambodia are engaged in their worst fighting in over a decade, exchanging heavy artillery fire across their disputed border, with at least 16 people killed and tens of thousands displaced. Tensions began rising between the Southeast Asian neighbours in May, following the killing of a Cambodian soldier during a brief exchange of gunfire, and have steadily escalated since, triggering diplomatic spats and now, armed clashes. Advertisement What is the current situation? Clashes broke out between the two countries early on Thursday along a disputed area abutting an ancient temple, rapidly spilling over to other areas along the contested frontier and heavy artillery exchanges continuing for a second straight day. Thailand recalled its ambassador to Phnom Penh on Wednesday and expelled Cambodia's envoy, in response to a second Thai soldier losing a limb to a landmine that Bangkok alleged had been laid recently by rival troops. Cambodia called that accusation baseless. Damage from a fire caused by Cambodian artillery at a 7-11 convenience store in the Thai border province of Sisaket province. Photo: AFP via Getty Both sides accuse each other of firing the first shots that started the conflict on Thursday, which have so far claimed the lives of at least 15 civilians, most of them on the Thai side. Cambodia has deployed truck-mounted rocket launchers, which Thailand says have been used to target civilian areas, while the Thai armed forces despatched US-made F-16 fighter jets, using one to bomb military targets across the border. Advertisement Some 130,000 people have been evacuated from border areas in Thailand to safer locations, while some 12,000 families on the Cambodian side have been shifted away from the frontlines, according to local authorities. Where does the dispute originate? Thailand and Cambodia have for more than a century contested sovereignty at various undemarcated points along their 817km land border, which was first mapped by France in 1907 when Cambodia was its colony. That map, which Thailand later contested, was based on an agreement that the border would be demarcated along the natural watershed line between the two countries. In 2000, the two countries agreed to establish a Joint Boundary Commission to peacefully address overlapping claims, but little progress has been made towards settling disputes. Advertisement Claims over ownership of historical sites have raised nationalist tension between the two countries, notably in 2003 when rioters torched the Thai embassy and Thai businesses in Phnom Penh over an alleged remark by a Thai celebrity questioning jurisdiction over Cambodia's World Heritage-listed Angkor Wat temple. What were the previous flashpoints? An 11th century Hindu temple called Preah Vihear, or Khao Phra Viharn in Thailand, has been at the heart of the dispute for decades, with both Bangkok and Phnom Penh claiming historical ownership. The International Court of Justice awarded the temple to Cambodia in 1962, but Thailand has continued to lay claim to the surrounding land. Smoke is pictured in the air as a multi-rocket launcher is fired near the Cambodia-Thailand border. Photo: AFP via Getty Tension escalated in 2008 after Cambodia attempted to list the Preah Vihear temple as a Unesco World Heritage site, leading to skirmishes over several years and at least a dozen deaths, including during a weeklong exchange of artillery in 2011. Advertisement Two years later, Cambodia sought interpretation of the 1962 verdict and the ICJ again ruled in its favour, saying the land around the temple was also part of Cambodia and ordering Thai troops to withdraw. What's behind recent troubles? Despite the historic rivalry, the current governments of Thailand and Cambodia enjoy warm ties, partly due to the close relationship between their influential former leaders, Thailand's Thaksin Shinawatra and Cambodia's Hun Sen. But nationalist sentiment has risen in Thailand after conservatives last year questioned the government's plan to negotiate with Cambodia to jointly explore energy resources in undemarcated maritime areas, warning such a move could risk Thailand losing the island of Koh Kood in the Gulf of Thailand. Tensions also rose in February when a group of Cambodians escorted by troops sang their national anthem at another ancient Hindu temple that both countries claim, Ta Moan Thom, before being stopped by Thai soldiers. Advertisement An effort by then Thai premier Paetongtarn Shinawatra, Thaksin's daughter, to de-escalate the situation in a call last month with Hun Sen spectacularly backfired after a recording of the conversation was initially leaked and later released in full by the Cambodian leader. Thailand's suspended prime minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra. Photo: AFP via Getty In the call, the 38-year-old prime minister appeared to criticise a Thai army commander and kowtow to Hun Sen, drawing public fury and a complaint from a group of senators, which led to her suspension by a court order on July 1st. Have there been any resolution efforts? After the May 28th clash, both countries quickly promised to ease tension, prevent more conflict and seek dialogue via their joint border commission at a June 14th meeting. The neighbours have issued diplomatically worded statements committing to peace while vowing to protect sovereignty, but their militaries have been mobilising near the border. World Thailand and Cambodia trade accusations as deadly... Read More Cambodia, meanwhile, said existing mechanisms were not working and it planned to refer disputes in four border areas to the ICJ to settle "unresolved and sensitive" issues that it said could escalate tensions. Thailand has not recognised the ICJ's rulings on the row and wants to settle it bilaterally. Since Thursday's clashes, Cambodia has written to the United Nations Security Council, urging the body to convene a meeting to stop what it describes as "unprovoked and premeditated military aggression" by Thailand. Thailand, on the other hand, wants to resolve the conflict through bilateral negotiations but says talks can only take place after Cambodia ceases violence.

Tens of thousands displaced amid Thailand and Cambodia border clashes

Euronews

5 days ago

Politics
Euronews

Tens of thousands displaced amid Thailand and Cambodia border clashes

Tens of thousands of people have fled their homes as fighting between Thailand and Cambodia continued for a second day Friday. Over 58,000 people fled their homes from four affected Thai border provinces and sought refuge in temporary shelters, the Thai Health Ministry said on Friday. Meanwhile, in Cambodia, local authorities said more than 4,000 were evacuated from areas near the border. The two sides fired small arms, artillery and rockets at each other, which Thailand said killed one Thai soldier and 13 civilians and wounded at least 14 soldiers and 32 civilians. Cambodia reported its first death from the fighting on Friday. Thailand has also launched airstrikes at Cambodia, reportedly involving one of its six US-made F-16 fighter jets. Border tension between the two countries is not new, as the border dispute between the two countries started more than a century ago, following the end of France's occupation of Cambodia. However, renewed fighting erupted on Thursday following an incident in which five Thai soldiers were injured, including one who lost a leg, as a result of a landmine explosion. Thailand had blamed Cambodia for placing new mines along paths that, by mutual agreement, were supposed to be safe. Cambodia rejected the allegations, claiming the mines were remnants of old wars and unrest. Both the Thai Army and Cambodia's Defence Ministry accused each other of deploying drones before advancing on the other's positions and opening fire. The conflict then escalated with the use of heavier weapons, including artillery. Thailand deployed F16 fighter jets and launched airstrikes in retaliation for Cambodia's use of rockets, a move that Thai Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nikorndej Balankura had called an "act of self-defence". Balankura emphasised that the government was prepared to intensify its self-defence measures "if Cambodia persists in its armed aggression and violations (of) Thailand's sovereignty.' Cambodian Defence Ministry spokesperson Lt Gen Maly Socheata said his country deployed armed forces because 'it has no choice but to defend its territory against Thai threats" and insisted the "attacks were focused on the military places, not on any other place." The UN Security Council scheduled an emergency meeting in New York on Friday after Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Manet requested the council to do so to "stop Thailand's aggression". However, on Friday, Thailand rejected mediation efforts from third countries and instead urged Cambodia to engage in bilateral talks.

Telegraph

5 days ago

Politics
Telegraph

Battle Lines: Why Gaza is starving

What exactly is going on inside the Gaza strip? Amid growing reports of children starving to death and fears of full-blown famine, the international community appears to be becoming more critical of Israel. Roland Oliphant hears from UNICEF's Tess Ingram in Amman about why mass starvation is setting in - but is still avoidable. She has recently been on the ground in Gaza and shares the latest from the area and how it is now nothing short of a 'hellscape'. Plus, in a dramatic escalation of tensions, Thailand bombed its neighbour Cambodia on Thursday with F16 fighter jets. But how did it come to this and why now?

Thai fighter jet bombs Cambodian targets as border battle escalates

Reuters

6 days ago

Politics
Reuters

Thai fighter jet bombs Cambodian targets as border battle escalates

BANGKOK/PHNOM PENH, July 24 (Reuters) - Thailand scrambled an F-16 fighter jet to bomb targets in Cambodia on Thursday after artillery volleys from both sides killed at least 11 civilians, as border tension boiled over into rare armed conflict between the Southeast Asian countries. Both blamed each other for starting a morning clash at a disputed area of the border, which quickly escalated from small arms fire to heavy shelling in at least six locations 209 kilometres (130 miles) apart along a frontier where sovereignty has been disputed for more than a century. Thailand positioned six F-16 fighter jets in an uncommon combat deployment, one of which was mobilised to strike a Cambodian military target, among measures Cambodia's foreign ministry called "reckless and brutal military aggression". Thailand's military said the use of air power was to strike with precision. The worst fighting between the countries in 13 years came after Thailand on Wednesday recalled its ambassador to Phnom Penh and expelled Cambodia's envoy, in response to a second Thai soldier losing a limb to a landmine that Bangkok alleged had been laid recently by rival troops. The two countries have been braced for conflict since the killing of a Cambodian soldier late in May during a brief skirmish, with troops reinforced on both sides of the border amid a full-blown diplomatic crisis that brought Thailand's fragile coalition government to the brink of collapse. Thailand said there were 12 fatalities in three Thai provinces, 11 of them civilians including an eight-year-old boy. Authorities said 31 people were injured on Thursday. The number of Cambodian casualties was unclear. "We condemn this - using heavy weapons without a clear target, outside of conflict zones... the use of force and did not adhere to international law," Thailand's acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai told reporters. "We remain committed to peaceful means and there should be discussions, but what happened was a provocation and we had to defend ourselves." Thailand's Health Minister Somsak Thepsuthin told reporters a hospital was hit by shelling in Surin province, an attack he said should be considered "a war crime". Cambodian government, defence and foreign ministry officials at a press conference gave no indication of fatalities sustained or any estimate of the number of people evacuated. In a letter to Pakistan, the current president of the United Nations Security Council, Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Manet, urged the body to convene a meeting to stop what he called "unprovoked and premeditated military aggression" by Thailand in violation of international law. As clashes spread to different border areas, Thai villagers including children and the elderly fled to concrete shelters fortified with sandbags and car tires. "How many rounds have been fired? It's countless," an unidentified woman in Surin province told the Thai Public Broadcasting Service while hiding in the shelter as gunfire and explosions were heard in the background. Video footage showed a plume of thick black smoke rising from a gas station in the neighbouring Sisaket province, as firefighters rushed to extinguish the blaze. Thailand has evacuated more than 40,000 people from border areas, moving many to temporary shelters, where elderly people and small children gathered on floor mats as authorities prepared meals and unloaded food and bottled water from trucks. "I'm worried about my children," said Suphap Wongwai, an evacuee in Surin province. "My children are scared and crying." Thailand and Cambodia have bickered for decades over jurisdiction of various undemarcated points along their 817km (508-mile) land border, with ownership of the ancient Hindu temples Ta Moan Thom and the 11th century Preah Vihear central to the disputes. Preah Vihear was awarded to Cambodia by the International Court of Justice in 1962 but tension escalated in 2008 after Cambodia attempted to list it as a UNESCO World Heritage site. That led to skirmishes over several years and at least a dozen deaths. Cambodia in June said it had asked the ICJ to resolve its disputes with Thailand, which says it has never recognised the court's jurisdiction and prefers a bilateral approach. Thailand's use of a fighter jet underlines its military advantage over Cambodia in terms of size and range of defence hardware. The clashes have caused jitters in the region, with the Philippines and Vietnam calling for restraint and China expressing willingness to play a role in promoting de-escalation. Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, the chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, of which Thailand and Cambodia are members, said he would speak to leaders of both countries. "The least we can expect from them is to just stand down and hopefully to try and enter into negotiations," Anwar said. The clashes erupted hours after a downgrade in diplomatic relations between the two countries following a series of landmine injuries to Thai soldiers patrolling border areas. Thailand accused Cambodia of placing the mines recently, which Phnom Penh dismissed as baseless. De-mining groups estimate as many as 4-6 million landmines remain in Cambodia following years of civil war.

What's Behind the Deadly Thailand-Cambodia Border Clashes?

Bloomberg