Thailand and Cambodia broke the February ceasefire and clashed on Friday at the disputed Ta Moan and Ta Krabey border area. Artillery, rocket propelled grenades and light guns were fired that killed 2 Thai solders and wounded 7, with an unknown number of Cambodian fatalities. Villages on both sides of the border were evacuated and the sides accused each other for starting the fight.
The February cease fire proves to be volatile, instability of the region remaining high. The frozen conflict was supposed to be observed by Indonesian observers, according to a February 22 agreement brokered by ASEAN (Association of South East Asian Nations), but the unarmed military were not yet deployed at the time of the clashes on Friday.
The conflict started half a century ago with both countries claiming a 4.6 sq. km plot of land (1.8 sq. miles) including a temple known as Khao Phra in Thailand and Preah Vihear in Cambodia. The temple got the UNESCO World Heritage status in 2008 but this did not lower tensions.
Resuming fighting is of interest for both the Thai generals allied with ultra-nationalists in an attempt to create conditions for a coup to prevent July elections and fits the interests of the nationalists in Cambodia who try to show that their army is capable to oppose its historic Thai rivals.
ReplyDeleteA third day of fighting erupted on Sunday with gunfire and explosions on both sides of the disputed border killing 11 and wounding 43 since Friday. Rumors about use of poisonous gas appeared but no independent reports confirm this. Before Friday, both sides jointly patrolled the area largely without incidents.
According to a 1947 map Thailand claims the strip of land with two temples is situated in its Surin province but Cambodia insists that this is in its Oddar Meanchey province.