Renewed military engagements involving artillery, rockets, and air strikes have occurred along the Thai-Cambodian border. This development has necessitated the evacuation of villages over hundreds of kilometers for the second time in five months.
This resurgence of conflict follows a previous ceasefire brokered by then-US President Donald Trump in July. The current hostilities were reportedly ignited by an incident on Sunday, when a Thai engineering team working on an access road in a disputed border area allegedly came under fire from Cambodian troops. Two Thai soldiers sustained injuries.
The July ceasefire had been considered tenuous. Thailand's agreement to the internationalized border conflict was reportedly influenced by an impending deadline for negotiating lower tariff rates on its vital exports to the US. Cambodia, by contrast, has generally welcomed outside intervention, reportedly due to perceiving itself at a disadvantage in bilateral negotiations with Thailand.
Since the July agreement, Cambodia has been accused by Thailand of continuing to lay new landmines in the border region, an activity Thailand states has resulted in seven of its soldiers losing limbs. Thailand has presented evidence to support these claims, accused Cambodia of bad faith, and has maintained the detention of 18 Cambodian soldiers captured in July.
Thailand's current Prime Minister, Anutin Charvirakul, who leads a minority coalition government, has granted the military autonomy in managing the border conflict. The Thai army has stated its objectives include inflicting sufficient damage on its Cambodian counterpart to prevent future threats to border communities and securing several strategic hilltop positions to gain an advantage in potential future engagements. Both nations have been observed maneuvering around these positions, enhancing access roads and fortifications throughout the year. The Thai military indicates it intends to complete objectives that were halted in July, asserting its role in defending Thailand's territorial claims.