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Thailand launched airstrikes against Cambodian military positions Thursday as both nations traded rocket and artillery fire in the most serious escalation of their decades-old border dispute, leaving at least one civilian dead and several wounded.
The clash erupted near ancient temples along the contested frontier known as the Emerald Triangle, where Thailand, Cambodia and Laos meet.
Six Thai F-16 jets deployed from Ubon Ratchathani province struck two Cambodian military targets after Cambodia fired rockets and artillery shells across the border, according to Thai military deputy spokesperson Ritcha Suksuwanon.
A Cambodian artillery shell struck a house in Thailand's border region, killing one civilian and wounding three others, including a 5-year-old child, the Thai prime minister's office said. Thailand later accused Cambodia of a "targeted attack on civilians," saying two BM-21 rockets hit a community in Surin province's Kap Choeng district.
Both sides blamed the other for initiating Thursday's violence near temples on the border between Thailand's Surin province and Cambodia's Oddar Meanchey province.
"The Thai military violated the territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Cambodia by launching an armed assault on Cambodian forces stationed to defend the nation's sovereign territory," Cambodian defense ministry spokeswoman Maly Socheata said. She claimed Cambodian forces acted in "legitimate right to self-defence" under international law.
The Thai military said fighting began around 7:35 a.m. local time when soldiers guarding Ta Muen temple detected a Cambodian drone overhead. Thai forces later observed six armed Cambodian soldiers, including one carrying a rocket-propelled grenade, approaching a barbed-wire fence near the Thai position.
Despite warnings from Thai soldiers, Cambodian forces opened fire toward the temple's eastern side around 8:20 a.m., approximately 200 meters from the Thai base, the army said.
The violence followed Thailand's expulsion of Cambodia's ambassador and recall of its own envoy after five Thai military patrol members were wounded by a landmine. Thailand accused Cambodia of laying new mines in the disputed area, which Phnom Penh denied.
Cambodia responded by downgrading diplomatic ties "to the lowest level," withdrawing all but one diplomat and expelling Thai counterparts from Phnom Penh.
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet requested an urgent U.N. Security Council meeting, writing to the council's president that Thailand's "extremely grave aggressions" have "gravely threatened peace and stability in the region."
Thailand's government spokesman Jirayu Houngsub condemned Cambodia as "inhumane, brutal and war-hungry" and called for international condemnation of the artillery barrage targeting civilian areas.
China expressed "deep concern" over the escalation. "We hope both sides can properly resolve issues through dialogue and consultations," foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said, adding Beijing would maintain a "fair and impartial position."
Thailand's acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai said "the situation requires careful handling, and we must act in accordance with international law." Thailand's embassy in Phnom Penh urged Thai nationals to leave Cambodia "as soon as possible" unless they had urgent reasons to remain.
The border dispute has simmered for decades, erupting into deadly clashes more than 15 years ago and again in May when a Cambodian soldier was killed. Recent weeks have seen escalating tensions, with Thailand restricting border crossings and Cambodia halting certain imports.
The crisis has also triggered domestic political turmoil in Thailand, where Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra was suspended pending an ethics probe over a leaked diplomatic call with Hun Sen, Cambodia's former longtime leader and father of the current prime minister.
Last week, Hun Manet announced Cambodia would begin civilian conscription next year, activating a long-dormant mandatory draft law amid the border tensions.
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