Cambodian and Thai forces clashed along their disputed border on Thursday, with Thailand deploying F-16 fighter jets and Cambodia firing rockets, killing at least 12 people and injuring 17, according to Thai authorities. The escalation was triggered by landmines laid along the border.
The two neighbours contest parts of the border stretching across Cambodia’s Preah Vihear province and Thailand’s northeastern Ubon Ratchathani province.
Tensions have been rising since 28 May, when a Cambodian soldier was killed in what was described as cross-border fire.
Cambodia’s claim is based on a 1907 map created during French colonial rule under the Franco-Siamese treaty, which placed areas such as the Preah Vihear Temple under Cambodian control, according to Modern Diplomacy.
Thailand has long contested this, arguing the map was unilaterally drawn by French officials without Thai consent and deviated from natural watershed boundaries, creating conflicting interpretations.
Efforts to resolve the issue diplomatically failed.
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled in 1962 that the Preah Vihear Temple belonged to Cambodia, but other parts of the border remained undefined, keeping tensions alive.
A further ICJ ruling in 2013 confirmed Cambodia’s sovereignty over the surrounding promontory but left adjacent disputed areas unsettled.
The dispute turned violent in 2008, shortly after the Preah Vihear Temple was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site, which Thailand opposed.
Both sides accused each other of starting the fighting.
The most deadly clashes were in 2011, killing at least 15 people and displacing tens of thousands.
Fighting centred on jungle border areas dotted with ancient temples claimed by both sides.
A cease-fire was declared after seven days, but sporadic skirmishes continued as the border remains undemarcated.
Cambodia remains one of the world’s most heavily mined countries, with an estimated 4–6 million landmines and unexploded ordnance (UXO) left from decades of conflict, including the Khmer Rouge era and the Vietnam War, according to APOPO.
The high density of mines has made border regions dangerous, contributing to one of the highest amputee rates per capita globally.
Demining efforts by organizations such as The HALO Trust and the Cambodian Mine Action Centre (CMAC) have cleared over 500 million square metres of land, but vast areas remain contaminated, increasing the risk of accidental cross-border incidents.
In 1962, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that the Preah Vihear Temple belongs to Cambodia. However, the decision did not fully settle the dispute as the surrounding areas remained undefined.
In 2011, the United Nations ordered both sides to withdraw their forces and establish a demilitarized zone around the disputed area.
However, the UN did not decide who would control the larger territories where clashes continued to occur.
In November 2013, the ICJ confirmed Cambodia’s sovereignty over the entire Preah Vihear temple complex and ruled that Thailand was obligated to withdraw its military personnel from the area.
Despite this, tensions have persisted due to unresolved claims over other border regions.
President Donald Trump said Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has agreed to halt India’s purchases of Russian oil, as the U.S. seeks to cut Moscow...
China’s largest state-owned airlines have criticised a U.S. plan to stop them flying over Russia on journeys to or from the United States, warning i...
President Donald Trump confirmed on Wednesday that he authorized the CIA to conduct covert operations in Venezuela and said he is considering strikes ...
Top U.S. officials on Wednesday criticised China’s expansion of rare earth export controls, warning it threatens global supply chains, though they s...
Britain has imposed new sanctions on Russia’s two largest oil companies, Lukoil and Rosneft, along with 51 shadow fleet tankers, in an effort to tig...
Transit flows through Central Asian countries have increased by 70% between 2020 and 2024, according to the Eurasian Development Bank’s Transport Projects Observatory.
More than 200 electric buses from China have arrived in Tashkent as part of Uzbekistan’s plan to modernise its public transport system and cut carbon emissions.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth warned Moscow on Wednesday that the United States and its allies would "impose costs on Russia for its continued aggression" if the war in Ukraine does not come to an end.
Kenya's veteran opposition leader Raila Odinga, who was imprisoned multiple times while fighting one-party autocracy and ran five times unsuccessfully for president, died aged 80 on Wednesday in India.
Video from the USGS (United States Geological Survey) showed on Friday (19 September) the Kilauea volcano in Hawaii erupting and spewing lava.
At least 69 people have died and almost 150 injured following a powerful 6.9-magnitude earthquake off the coast of Cebu City in the central Visayas region of the Philippines, officials said, making it one of the country’s deadliest disasters this year.
Authorities in California have identified the dismembered body discovered in a Tesla registered to singer D4vd as 15-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, who had been missing from Lake Elsinore since April 2024.
A tsunami threat was issued in Chile after a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck the Drake Passage on Friday. The epicenter was located 135 miles south of Puerto Williams on the north coast of Navarino Island.
The war in Ukraine has reached a strategic impasse, and it seems that the conflict will not be solved by military means. This creates a path toward one of two alternatives: either a “frozen” phase that can last indefinitely or a quest for a durable political regulation.
China has voiced its readiness to enhance high-level exchanges with France during a strategic dialogue between Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Emmanuel Bonne, the French president’s diplomatic adviser, according to a statement released by the Chinese Foreign Ministry on Thursday.
President Donald Trump said Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has agreed to halt India’s purchases of Russian oil, as the U.S. seeks to cut Moscow’s energy revenue amid the Ukraine war.
China’s largest state-owned airlines have criticised a U.S. plan to stop them flying over Russia on journeys to or from the United States, warning it would inconvenience travellers and raise costs.
President Donald Trump confirmed on Wednesday that he authorized the CIA to conduct covert operations in Venezuela and said he is considering strikes targeting drug cartels in the region.
Top U.S. officials on Wednesday criticised China’s expansion of rare earth export controls, warning it threatens global supply chains, though they said Beijing could still reverse course to avoid U.S. retaliation.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment