Thailand's military has launched a new offensive against Cambodia. The operation began on Sunday amid efforts by US President Donald Trump and other mediators to end the fighting between the two countries.
Thailand says the operation is being carried out to "reclaim its sovereign territory". It has declared a curfew in the coastal province of Trat today.
Cambodia announced the closure of all border crossings with Thailand on Saturday. The next day, the two Southeast Asian countries resumed hostilities.
Thai forces have launched a military operation in an area of the coastal province of Trat to "reclaim Thailand's sovereign territory, the newspaper Matichon Online reported, citing Rear Admiral Parach Rattanachaiyapan, a spokesman for the Thai navy.
The conflict between the two countries has recently erupted over a long-standing border dispute dating back to the colonial era. At least 25 soldiers and civilians have been killed in the fighting so far. More than 500,000 people have been displaced in both countries. Thailand and Cambodia share an 800-kilometre (500-mile) border.
Thai forces have launched a military operation to “restore Thailand’s sovereign territory” in an area of the coastal province of Trat, the newspaper Matichon Online reported, citing Rear Admiral Parach Rattanachaipan, a spokesman for the Thai navy.
Parach Rattanachaipan said the operation began at dawn. It is being conducted under the principle of self-defence and the preservation of national sovereignty in accordance with international law.
The Thai military said it had “successfully taken control of and reclaimed the area by eliminating the opposition forces.”
Thailand’s state television channel Thai PBS reported that the country’s army raised the Thai national flag in the area after eliminating all opposition forces.
Thailand's TV3 Morning News, citing the military, said that the country's army, navy and air force launched operations in the border area early Sunday. There were intermittent clashes in various areas. In addition, drone attacks were also carried out.
There were no immediate reports of casualties in this recent incident. The Cambodian army has not yet issued a statement on the clashes.
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However, the Cambodian news website Cambodian says that at least seven areas have been attacked. This includes Pursat province. There, the Thai army is reported to have used F-16 fighter jets to bomb Thoma Da commune.
The Thai army has also been accused of shelling the village of Boyung Trakun in Banteay Meanchey province.
Al Jazeera could not immediately confirm the veracity of this report.
It is worth noting that President Donald Trump announced yesterday morning that Thailand and Cambodia have agreed to cease all shelling in their border areas.
Earlier, Trump spoke to Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen on the phone. After the phone call, Trump explained the positions of the two countries.
The conflict between the two countries recently began due to a long-standing dispute over the border. So far, at least 25 soldiers and civilians have been killed in the fighting. More than 500,000 people from both countries have been displaced. There is an 800-kilometre-long border between Thailand and Cambodia.
Trump wrote on his own social media account, Truth Social, "They (the Prime Ministers of Thailand and Cambodia) have agreed to cease all shelling starting this evening (Saturday). They are going back to the peace agreement that they and I signed with the help of the great Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.
A preliminary ceasefire was reached between Thailand and Cambodia last July. This ceasefire between the two countries was possible due to pressure from Donald Trump and the direct initiative of Malaysia. Trump had threatened to suspend trade benefits if Thailand and Cambodia did not agree to a ceasefire.
Last October, Trump went to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to attend a summit of the regional alliance ASEAN. Then the ceasefire agreement between Thailand and Cambodia was officially signed. The agreement was signed by the prime ministers of the two countries; Trump also signed.
However, Thailand suspended the ceasefire agreement last November. This decision was taken by Bangkok after several Thai soldiers were injured in a landmine explosion on the border. Since then, there has been intermittent conflict between the two countries.
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