Two Civilians Killed in Thailand-Cambodia Clash as Fighter Jets Deployed

"Rivals in a Territorial Dispute Lasting Over 100 Years"

On the 24th (local time), as Cambodia and Thailand engaged in clashes, a Cambodian BM-21 multiple rocket launcher vehicle is returning from the border area. Photo by AFP

On July 24 (local time), Thai and Cambodian troops, who have been disputing territorial claims for over a century, engaged in another armed clash. During the armed conflict, at least two Thai civilians were killed and two others were injured. The situation is escalating, with the Thai military even deploying F-16 fighter jets.

The Thai government announced that on the morning of July 24, at the border area between Surin Province in eastern Thailand and Oddar Meanchey Province in northwestern Cambodia, a firefight broke out after Cambodian troops opened fire, resulting in the deaths of at least two Thai civilians and injuries to two others.

According to the Thai military, after the sound of a Cambodian military drone was heard circling in the area, six armed Cambodian soldiers approached a Thai military base and opened fire, leading to a gunfight.

The Cambodian troops used various weapons, including Russian-made BM-21 multiple rocket launchers, and at least two Thai soldiers were injured in the exchange of fire, according to Thai military authorities.

In response, the Thai military reportedly deployed F-16 fighter jets against the Cambodian forces. Of the six F-16s stationed in the disputed area, one attacked and destroyed a Cambodian military target, according to the military.

The armed conflict between the two countries occurred immediately after Thailand summoned its ambassador to Cambodia and announced the expulsion of the Cambodian ambassador in Bangkok the previous night. Tensions had already been heightened as, for the second time in a week, a Thai soldier lost limbs due to a landmine suspected to have been planted recently in the disputed area.

Both countries are blaming each other for the escalation. Earlier this week, Thailand claimed that Cambodia had planted landmines in the disputed area, resulting in injuries to three Thai soldiers. In response, Cambodia argued that the soldiers may have stepped on mines left over from the civil war era after straying from an agreed-upon passageway.

Reuters reported that "Thailand and Cambodia have been disputing several undefined points along their 817-kilometer land border for over 100 years." The report added, "Tensions flared again in May when a Cambodian soldier was killed in a brief clash, escalating from a diplomatic crisis to armed conflict."