December 8, 2025 | 10:21 am
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Thailand launched airstrikes along its disputed border with Cambodia on Monday morning, its army said, as both countries accused each other of starting the fresh escalation.
The Royal Thai Army accused Cambodian troops of attacking its personels in the Sisaket province on December 7. In a social media post, the army said there had been another clash in the Ubon Ratchathani Province on Monday morning, which prompted the air strikes.
"Cambodian troops opened fire using small arms and rocket launchers starting from approximately 05:05 am until the present, to which the Thai side responded in accordance with engagement rules using small arms and rocket launchers," said Winthai Suvaree, spokesperson for the Royal Thai Army.
Later in the morning, the Thai army said it received reports that its troops had been attacked with "supporting fire weapons," killing one personnel and injuring four others.
"The Thai side has begun using aircraft to attack military targets in multiple areas to suppress the attacks from Cambodian troops' supporting fire weapons," Suvaree said.
The army has also deployed troops to support evacuation of residents in the region, the statement read.
Meanwhile, Cambodia's Defense Ministry spokeswoman Maly Socheata said Thai forces had launched an attack on Cambodian troops in the border provinces of Preah Vihear and Oddar Meanchey early Monday morning, adding that Cambodia had not retaliated.
What is the dispute about?
The clashes come amid a decades-old dispute between Thailand and Cambodia.
The two countries share an 800-kilometer (500-mile) border stretching across sparsely inhabited regions that are home to several temples both countries claim as their own.
This includes the the historic Preah Vihear temple, a 1,000-year-old Hindu site built by the Khmer Empire.
Although a 1962 ruling by the International Court of Justice determined that the temple was located in Cambodian territory, competing claims largely stem from a 1907 map drawn when Cambodia was under French colonial rule. Thailand has argued that this map is inaccurate.
This dispute erupted into a five-day war in July leading to displacement of hundreds of civilians on either side.
A ceasefire was brokered by US President Donald Trump and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim. But the truce ended mid-November with Thailand accusing Cambodia of planting fresh landmines in the region.
Read: Trump Holds Phone Diplomacy Amid Thailand-Cambodia Border Tensions
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