Bangkok, Dec 8 (UNI) A Thai soldier has been killed and several others injured in the latest clash along Thailand’s disputed border with Cambodia.
The simmering conflict between the two ASEAN members who share a long border has reignited tensions that have simmered for months between the two.
Thailand’s army reported that Cambodian troops fired upon Thai forces in Ubon Ratchathani province early on Monday, resulting in an exchange of fire that led to the death of one Thai soldier and injuries to four others.
In a statement, an army spokesperson said troops had come under attack “with supporting fire weapons”.
Cambodia, however, rejected the claim and laid responsibility squarely on Bangkok.
Officials in Phnom Penh said Thai forces launched the first strike in the border districts of Preah Vihear and Oddar Meanchey around the same time, insisting that Cambodian units had not retaliated.
The confrontation marks a new flashpoint in a long-running dispute over sections of the densely forested border, where rival patrols routinely encounter each other amid lingering mistrust.
The latest clash unfolded days after Thailand urged the United Nations to investigate what it described as Cambodia’s widespread use of landmines on Thai soil.
Bangkok claims that the landmines have resulted in multiple injuries to Thai soldiers, as well as to at least one Chinese national. However, Cambodia has denied these allegations.
With both sides again trading blame and casualties mounting, the complaint to the UN is likely to be eclipsed, said observers.
The dispute over the border centring around the Preah Vihear temple and surrounding areas has been simmering ever since Cambodia gained independence from France in the 1950s.
