Thailand has accused Cambodia of “deliberately” violating a ceasefire, the two countries on Monday agreed to end the border clashes that have killed at least 33 people and displaced thousands of people.
This is an unstable beginning for the ceasefire, to bring the end of five days of bombing and rocket attacks with their shared limits.
The Thai Army says it stopped the firing after midnight, but that till this morning “many places” continued to face bullets from the Cambodian side.
But Cambodia’s Defense Ministry told the AFP news agency that there was a “no armed clash” between the two sides since the ceasefire started at midnight.
Despite the allegations, a meeting between local commanders – which was part of the ceasefire agreement – was earlier on Tuesday. Both sides agreed to stop shooting and stop the movement of soldiers on the frontline. They will also allow each other to collect their dead.
The tension on his century -old disputed border between South East Asian countries increased in May when a Cambodian soldier was killed in a clash.
They increased in a full -scale struggle last week after five Thai soldiers were injured in a landmine explosion. Thailand shut down some of his border crossings, expelled the Cambodian ambassador and recalled himself from Nom Penh.
After the two sides exchanged bullets in early Thursday, Cambodia fired several rockets in Thailand, killing several civilians.
In the following days more citizens died on both sides, and thousands of people were evacuated to shelters.
The intensive exchange of fire between the two armies continued till midnight on Monday, with the deadline of the ceasefire, with Thailand starting more airstrikes on Cambodian posts.
But on Tuesday morning, Thailand alleged that the ceasefire was violated, Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Manet said that since midnight, “Friends had relaxed”.
Under the ceasefire agreement, both sides are made to accept some kind of independent monitoring to pull back their forces and prevent further clashes.
Hun Manet and his Thai counterpart Fummattha Vichachai met at a meeting by his leader Anwar Ibrahim in Malaysia on Monday.
Cambodia was insisting on a ceasefire and its leader called it a “very good meeting”.
Thailand, who was initially reluctant to interact, agreed to the conversation after US President Donald Trump threatened to stop the conversation on tariffs until Thailand and Cambodia stopped the fight.
Relations between Thailand and Cambodia took a turn for a worse in 2008 when Cambodia tried to record the 11th -century temple located in the disputed area as a UNESCO World Heritage Site – a step that had met with warm opposition from Thailand.
There have been sporadic clashes in these years, which have seen killing soldiers and citizens on both sides.
When tension increased in May, the relationship between the two countries reached its lowest point in more than a decade.
In the last two months, the two countries have imposed border restrictions on each other. Cambodia banned imports such as fruits and vegetables from Thailand, and stopped importing power and internet services.
The two countries have also strengthened the presence of a troop along the border in recent weeks.
