Thailand, Cambodia dispute exchange of fire at border

BANGKOK – Thailand’s military said it exchanged fire with Cambodian forces along their border on Feb 24, accusing its neighbour of violating a December truce, while Phnom Penh denied the use of “any weapons”.

The Southeast Asian nations’ decades-long border dispute erupted into several rounds of clashes last year, killing dozens of people and displacing more than a million in July and December.

The countries signed a ceasefire agreement in late December but tensions on the border remain, with both sides trading accusations of truce violations.

Thailand’s military said Cambodian forces “fired a single 40 mm grenade round” near a Thai patrol in the border province of Sisaket in the morning on Feb 24, prompting return fire, according to a statement.

Thai army spokesman Winthai Suvaree accused Cambodia of violating their ceasefire deal, which ended three weeks of clashes.

Cambodia’s Information Minister Neth Pheaktra said the allegation were “entirely false” and designed to “mislead public opinion and provoke tension”.

No Thai personnel were injured on Feb 24, the army said.

“Following the incident, Thai forces responded by firing an M79 (grenade launcher) in the direction from which the shot originated, in accordance with the rules of engagement, as a warning and for self-defence,” it added.

Army spokesman Winthai Suvaree said in the statement that “Cambodia’s actions violated the ceasefire agreement”, which ended three weeks of deadly border clashes in late December.

The Thai army, citing a preliminary assessment, said the “incident may have resulted from a rotation of Cambodian troops, with new personnel lacking familiarity with regulations and command control”.

“Fabricated”

Minister Neth Pheaktra said the claims that its military fired on patrolling Thai troops were “fabricated and grossly distort the facts”.

He reiterated Cambodia’s “unwavering commitment” to the December truce and an earlier short-lived ceasefire deal from October 2025. “Cambodia is deeply concerned that unilateral allegations made without joint verification, consultation or factual substantiation risk misrepresenting the situation on the ground and undermining mutual trust.”

Cambodia’s defence ministry spokeswoman Maly Socheata said liaison teams from the Cambodian and Thai militaries promptly discussed the matter after “reports of explosions and gunfire on the Thai side”.

“Cambodian officials explicitly informed their Thai counterparts that Cambodian forces did not fire any weapons as alleged,” she said in a statement.

Under the December truce, Cambodia and Thailand pledged to cease fire, freeze troop movements and cooperate on demining efforts along their border.

But in January, Thailand accused Cambodia of violating the truce, saying cross-border mortar fire wounded a soldier, while Phnom Penh said a “pile of garbage” exploded, injuring two of its own troops.

Since the latest round of heavy fighting, Cambodia has said Thai forces captured several areas in border provinces – contrary to their agreements – and has demanded their withdrawal.

Bangkok has insisted it merely reclaimed land that was part of Thailand and had been occupied by Cambodians for years.

While the two nations agreed in December to stop fighting, they still need to resolve their century-old conflict, stemming from a dispute over the French colonial-era demarcation of their 800km frontier. AFP