BANGKOK — Thailand and Cambodia exchanged fire on their border Thursday in a sharp escalation of their conflict that killed at least nine civilians.
Both nations accused each other of starting the military clashes and have downgraded their diplomatic relations since Wednesday. Thailand also sealed all land border crossings with Cambodia. Relations between the Southeast Asian neighbors have deteriorated sharply since an armed confrontation in May that killed a Cambodian soldier. Nationalist passions on both sides have further inflamed the situation.
The Thai army said the most casualties occurred in Si Sa Ket province, where six people were killed after shots were fired at a gas station. At least 14 people were injured in three border provinces.
The Thai army said it launched airstrikes Thursday on ground military targets in Cambodia, while the Cambodian Defense Ministry said the Thai jets dropped bombs on a road near the ancient Preah Vihear temple.
Both governments say they have to respond to the other's actions
Clashes are ongoing in at least six areas along the border, Thai Defense Ministry spokesperson Surasant Kongsiri said. The first clash Thursday morning happened in an area near the ancient Ta Muen Thom temple along the border of Thailand's Surin province and Cambodia's Oddar Meanchey province.
A livestream video from Thailand's side showed people running from their homes and hiding in a concrete bunker Thursday morning as explosions sounded.
Thailand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Cambodia has attacked both military and non-military sites in Thailand, including a hospital.
"The Royal Thai Government calls upon Cambodia to take responsibility for the incidents that have occurred, cease attacks against civilian and military targets, and stop all actions that violate Thailand's sovereignty. The Royal Thai Government is prepared to intensify our self-defense measures if Cambodia persists in its armed attack and violations upon Thailand's sovereignty in accordance with international law and principles," said Nikorndej Balankura, the ministry's spokesperson.
Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Manet said his country has always maintained a position of peaceful resolution of problems, but "we have no choice but to respond with armed force against armed aggression."
Ambassadors are withdrawn and borders closed
Earlier Thursday, Cambodia said it was downgrading diplomatic relations with Thailand to their lowest level, expelling the Thai ambassador and recalling all Cambodian staff from its embassy in Bangkok. That was in response to Thailand withdrawing its ambassador and expelling the Cambodian ambassador Wednesday to protest a land mine blast that wounded five Thai soldiers.
The Thai army said of Thursday's initial clash that its forces heard an unmanned aerial vehicle before seeing six armed Cambodian soldiers moving closer to Thailand's station. It said Thai soldiers tried to shout at them to defuse the situation but the Cambodian side started to open fire.
Cambodia's Defense Ministry also said Thailand employed a drone first before opening fire, and that Cambodia "acted strictly within the bounds of self-defense, responding to an unprovoked incursion by Thai troops that violated our territorial integrity."
The Thai embassy in Phnom Penh posted on Facebook that there were clashes at several border areas that could continue to escalate. It urged Thai nationals in Cambodia to leave the country if they could and advised others not to travel to Cambodia unless absolutely necessary.
On Wednesday, a land mine blast near the border wounded five Thai soldiers, one of whom lost a leg. A week earlier, a land mine in a different contested area exploded and wounded three Thai soldiers when one of them stepped on it and lost a foot.
Thai authorities have alleged the mines were newly laid along paths that by mutual agreement were supposed to be safe. They said the mines were Russian-made and not of a type employed by Thailand's military. Cambodia rejected Thailand's account as "baseless accusations," pointing out that many unexploded mines and other ordnance are a legacy of 20th century wars and unrest.
The border dispute has also caused political fallout in Thailand, whose prime minister was suspended from office to be investigated for possible ethics violations over the matter.
Border disputes are longstanding issues that have caused periodic tensions between the countries. The most prominent and violent conflicts have been around the 1,000-year-old Preah Vihear temple.
In 1962, the International Court of Justice recognized Cambodian sovereignty over the temple area in a ruling that became a major irritant in the relations of both countries.
Cambodia went back to the court in 2011, following several military clashes that killed about 20 people. The court reaffirmed the ruling in 2013, a decision that still rattled Thailand.
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