Four Thai soldiers killed as Cambodia conflict escalates

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Bangkok said Cambodian forces killed four Thai soldiers on Saturday, after the prime minister denied US President Donald Trump’s claim that a truce was agreed to end days of deadly fighting.

Violence between the Southeast Asian neighbours, which stems from a long-running dispute over the colonial-era demarcation of their 800-kilometre (500-mile) border, has displaced around half a million people on both sides.

At least 24 people have been killed this week, including four Thai soldiers, the defence ministry said, who died in the border area on Saturday.

Each side blamed the other for reigniting the conflict, before Trump said a truce had been agreed.

But Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said Trump “didn’t mention whether we should make a ceasefire” during their Friday phone call.

The two leaders “didn’t discuss” the issue, Anutin told journalists on Saturday.

Trump had hailed his “very good conversation” with Anutin and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet on Friday.

“They have agreed to CEASE all shooting effective this evening, and go back to the original Peace Accord” agreed in July, Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.

The United States, China and Malaysia, as chair of the regional bloc ASEAN, brokered a ceasefire in July after an initial five-day spate of violence.

In October, Trump backed a follow-on joint declaration between Thailand and Cambodia, touting new trade deals after they agreed to prolong their truce.

But Thailand suspended the agreement the following month after Thai soldiers were wounded by landmines at the border.

In Thailand, evacuee Kanyapat Saopria said she doesn’t “trust Cambodia anymore.”

“The last round of peace efforts didn’t work out… I don’t know if this one will either,” the 39-year-old told AFP.

Across the border, a Cambodian evacuee said she was “sad” the fighting hadn’t stopped despite Trump’s intervention.

“I am not happy with brutal acts,” said Vy Rina, 43.

– Trading blame over civilians –

Bangkok and Phnom Penh have traded accusations of attacks against civilians, with the Thai army reporting six wounded on Saturday by Cambodian rockets.

Cambodia’s information minister, Neth Pheaktra, meanwhile, said Thai forces had “expanded their attacks to include civilian infrastructure and Cambodian civilians”.

A Thai navy spokesman said the air force “successfully destroyed” two Cambodian bridges used to transport weapons to the conflict zone.

At a camp in Thailand’s Buriram, AFP journalists saw displaced residents calling relatives near the border who reported that fighting was ongoing.

Thailand’s prime minister has vowed to “continue to perform military actions until we feel no more harm and threats to our land and people”.

After the call with Trump, Anutin said “the one who violated the agreement needs to fix (the situation)”.

Cambodia’s Hun Manet, meanwhile, said his country “has always been adhering to peaceful means for dispute resolutions.”

AFP

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