Thai police have fired tear gas and rubber bullets at Cambodian civilians in a disputed border area on Wednesday, authorities in both countries said. It's the most significant escalation since they declared a ceasefire to end a deadly five-day conflict in July.
The clash took place at a disputed frontier settlement, which Thailand says is part of its Ban Nong Ya Kaew village in Sa Kaeo province, but Cambodia says is part of Prey Chan village in Bantheay Meanchey province.
Cambodia's information minister Neth Pheaktra accused Thai officials of encroaching across the border, and said they used "tear gas, rubber bullets and noise-making devices against Cambodian civilians."
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet has sent out letters to world leaders, seeking support from the international community and the regional bloc ASEAN to stop what he described as Thailand's "unilateral actions that risk escalating tensions and widening the conflict", a Cambodia government statement said.
The Thai army said in a statement that Thailand's use of force was a response to provocation from some 200 Cambodian protesters, some of whom dismantled Thai defensive barriers, threw sticks and stones and fired slingshots at Thai officials, causing injuries.
The actions of the riot police were aimed at preventing the situation from escalating into civil disorder, it added.
The U.S. government said it was aware of the situation and urged the governments of both Cambodia and Thailand to de-escalate tensions.
A U.S. State Department spokesman called on the two sides to quickly finalise the "terms of reference" to establish a longer-term observer mission comprised of ASEAN member states on both sides of the border.
Thai authorities erected barbed wire fences in the area last month and for weeks there have been protests by civilians from both sides of the border.
Thailand and Cambodia have for more than a century contested sovereignty at various undemarcated points along their 817 km (508 miles) land border, which was first mapped by France in 1907 when Cambodia was its colony.
Tensions over disputed areas spiraled into a border conflict in July, when the fiercest fighting between the neighbours in decades killed at least 48 people and temporarily displaced hundreds of thousands.
The fighting ended after both countries agreed a ceasefire brokered in Malaysia on 28 July, and the border has largely remained calm since.
Hundreds of thousands of workers, students and pharmacists walked out across France on Thursday in nationwide protests against austerity plans, piling...
European shares nudged up on Thursday after the U.S. Federal Reserve lowered borrowing costs for the first time since December, while shares of SIG pl...
Meta Platforms on Wednesday launched its first consumer-ready smart glasses with a built-in display, seeking to extend the momentum of its Ray-Ban lin...
Entrepreneur Nelson Yang is reaching back into Taiwan's history to turn the humble banana plant into an unlikely sustainable textile. Taiwan is now th...
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for the 18th of September, covering the latest developments you need t...
Hundreds of thousands of workers, students and pharmacists walked out across France on Thursday in nationwide protests against austerity plans, piling pressure on President Emmanuel Macron’s government.
European shares nudged up on Thursday after the U.S. Federal Reserve lowered borrowing costs for the first time since December, while shares of SIG plummeted after the Swiss-based company issued a profit warning.
Meta Platforms on Wednesday launched its first consumer-ready smart glasses with a built-in display, seeking to extend the momentum of its Ray-Ban line, one of the early consumer hits of the artificial intelligence (AI) era.
Entrepreneur Nelson Yang is reaching back into Taiwan's history to turn the humble banana plant into an unlikely sustainable textile. Taiwan is now the world's dominant producer of advanced semiconductors but the yellow fruit, still widely grown on the island, was once a source of patriotic pride.
AnewZ has learned that India has once again blocked Azerbaijan’s application for full membership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, while Pakistan’s recent decision to consider diplomatic relations with Armenia has been coordinated with Baku as part of Azerbaijan’s peace agenda.
A day of mourning has been declared in Portugal to pay respect to victims who lost their lives in the Lisbon Funicular crash which happened on Wednesday evening.
A Polish Air Force pilot was killed on Thursday when an F-16 fighter jet crashed during a training flight ahead of the 2025 Radom International Air Show.
At least eight people have died and more than 90 others were injured following a catastrophic gas tanker explosion on a major highway in Mexico City’s Iztapalapa district on Wednesday, authorities confirmed.
Hundreds of thousands of workers, students and pharmacists walked out across France on Thursday in nationwide protests against austerity plans, piling pressure on President Emmanuel Macron’s government.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for the 18th of September, covering the latest developments you need to know.
Cuba has called for the United Nations to stop the United States from starting a war in the region, amid rising tensions due to a military build-up in the Caribbean to counter drug cartels.
Denmark did not invite the U.S. military to take part in Arctic Light 2025, the largest military exercise in Greenland's modern history, as NATO allies step up defence cooperation in the Arctic amid U.S. interest in the island.
NATO has strengthened its security to safeguard undersea infrastructure, since a suspected sabotage in January this year in the Baltic Sea. The alliance now deploys air and naval patrols, and warns that attacks will not go unpunished.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment