Violence has erupted once again along the long-disputed border between Thailand and Cambodia following the collapse of a cease-fire that was signed just weeks ago. Thai troops struck Cambodian targets at dawn on 8 December; the two sides are now exchanging accusations and rockets, with many lives lost and wounded, and the rest displaced.
Airstrikes and Rockets Mark the Collapse of the Thailand-Cambodia Ceasefire
The revived war started on the night of December 8, when the Royal Thai Air Force attacked several announced Cambodian military bases along their disputed border, including areas around Preah Vihear and other contentious areas. According to Thai officials, the strikes were needed to oppose Cambodian troop movements, artillery positioning, and supposed drone and rocket threats.
The government of Cambodia was quick to deny its involvement in the earlier attacks and condemned the Thai airstrikes as unjustified aggression. The Cambodian Senate president and former long-time leader Hun Sen announced on Tuesday that Cambodia had no option but to defend itself, after a day of restraint.
This explosion occurred despite a cease-fire agreement negotiated only weeks earlier, under international mediator supervision, that had halted fighting after a lethal July flare-up. However, only last month, Thailand reneged on some of the deal when a landmine explosion injured a Thai soldier, which Bangkok accused Cambodian troops of, a claim that Phnom Penh denied.
The Human Toll and Ripple Effects of Thailand-Cambodia Border Clashes
The intensity of the battle highlights the degree to which the border confrontation is risky. Cambodian officials say that nine civilians have been killed and dozens more injured, and the Thai military reports that they have killed at least three Thai soldiers and wounded tens of others.
Mass evacuation operations are in progress; on the Thai side alone, the government reports that over 125,000 individuals have been evacuated into makeshift shelters in multiple border provinces. Meanwhile, Cambodia has already evacuated thousands of people, such as the inhabitants of the villages around Khmer-era temples and other culturally sensitive areas that would be vulnerable to shelling.
With enmity extending across the entire 817-kilometre length of the border, this is the most acute outbreak of strife since the rocket-and-artillery duel of July that cost dozens of lives and displaced hundreds of thousands. The ongoing conflict is not only costly to civilian life and property but also intensifies the lack of trust and complicates the already difficult process of reaching a diplomatic compromise anytime soon.
The resumption of conflict between Thailand and Cambodia highlights the precarious nature of peace when historical resentment, contentious boundary definitions, and militaristic posturing continue. As each side accuses the other of starting violence, and hundreds of thousands of civilians have already been displaced, the incentive for a long war is possible, unless international diplomacy can act swiftly.
Keep up with all the developments in the Thailand-Cambodia conflict through Media Watcher. In frontline human narratives to local geopolitical changes, Media Watcher reveals the backstories, follows live events, and provides a deep update on what lies beyond the headlines.
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