Image source, Getty Images
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- Author, Jonathan Head
- Author's title, BBC News
- Author, Kelly ng
- Author's title, BBC News
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The clashes between Thai and Cambodian troops in their disputed border caused the death of at least 12 people, according to Thai authorities.
The fighting mark an escalation of the dispute between the two residents of Southeast Asia, which dates back to more than a century.
Most of the victims were civilians from three Thai provinces, the Thai army reported, which also reported several injured.
Cambodia has not yet confirmed if he suffered casualties.
Both parties exchanged shots during the early hours of Thursday. The situation quickly worsened and Thailand accused Cambodia of firing rockets against a Thai village and attacking a hospital.
Bangkok also launched air attacks against Cambodian military objectives.
Thailand closed its border with Cambodia after ordering all its citizens to leave the country.
Meanwhile, Cambodia degraded his relations with Thailand, which he accuses of making excessive use of force.
Both countries asked their citizens located near the border to evacuate the area, since face -to -face witnesses warn of intense fighting.
“It is really serious. We are in full evacuation,” Sutian Phiwchan, resident of the district of Ban Dan, told BBC Sutian Sutian Sutian Sutian, in the Thai province of Buriram, near the border with Cambodia.
The origin of the conflict
The dispute goes back more than a hundred years ago, when the borders of both nations were drawn after the French occupation of Cambodia.
The situation officially hostiles in 2008, when Cambodia tried to register a temple of the eleventh century located in the dispute zone as Unesco's World Heritage, a measure that was received with strong protests by Thailand.
Over the years there were sporadic clashes that resulted in the death of soldiers and civilians on both sides.
The latest tensions intensified in May after the death of a Cambodian soldier in a confrontation. This led bilateral relations to its lowest point in more than a decade.
In the last two months, both countries imposed border restrictions. Cambodia prohibited Thailand imports, such as fruits and vegetables, and suspended the supply of electricity and internet services from the neighboring country.
Both countries have also reinforced the presence of troops on the border in recent weeks.
Image source, Getty Images
Where does the confrontation go?
The interim prime minister of Thailand, Phumtham Wechayachai, said that the dispute with Cambodia remains “delicate” and must be approached with caution and in accordance with international law.
For his part, the Cambodian Prime Minister, Hun Manet, said that his country wishes to solve the dispute in a peaceful way and that “has no other option” to “respond with the armed force against armed aggression.”
While there have been exchanges of serious shots in the past, they were resolved quickly.
Although it seems unlikely that fighting becomes a large -scale war, both countries lack leadership with the strength and trust necessary to retire from this confrontation.
Hun Manet, son of a Cambodian ex -dictator, still does not have his own authority. Hun Sen, his father, seems willing to intensify the confrontation to improve his nationalist credentials.
In Thailand, there is an unstable coalition government, backed by another ex -dictator, Thaksin Shinawatra.
Thaksin believed to have a close personal relationship with Hun Sen and his family, and feels betrayed by Hun Sen's decision to filter a private conversation that caused the suspension of the position of prime minister of her daughter, PaetongTran Shinawatra.
With additional information from May Titthara in Phnom Penh.
Image source, Getty Images
