Thai navy says solider wounded in mortar strike in disputed border space.
Printed On 6 Jan 2026
Thailand’s military says Cambodia has claimed {that a} new strike was an accident, after a Thai soldier was wounded in a mortar assault in a disputed border area, as a ceasefire agreed in late December continues to carry.
On Tuesday morning, Thai forces had accused their Cambodian counterparts of violating the 10-day-old truce, after bombarding a border province.
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However in a later assertion, the Thai navy stated the Cambodian facet had contacted them to clarify “there was no intention to fireplace into Thai territory”, including that “the incident was attributable to an operational error by Cambodian personnel.”
Thailand’s military accused Cambodian forces of firing mortar rounds into Ubon Ratchathani province, with one soldier wounded by shrapnel and evacuated for medical therapy.
“The Thai navy unit within the space issued a warning to Cambodia to train warning and emphasised that if such errors happen once more, Thailand could also be compelled to hold out defensive countermeasures,” stated the Thai military.
Longstanding simmering battle
The decades-old dispute between the Southeast Asian neighbours erupted into navy clashes a number of instances final 12 months, with combating in December killing dozens of individuals and displacing about a million on each side.
The 2 international locations agreed a truce on December 27, ending three weeks of clashes.
Cambodia’s Ministry of Nationwide Defence spokeswoman Maly Socheata declined to touch upon the alleged strike on Tuesday.
The nations’ longstanding battle stems from a dispute over the colonial-era demarcation of their 800km (500-mile) border, the place each side declare territory and centuries-old temple ruins.
Beneath the December truce, Cambodia and Thailand pledged to ceasefire, freeze troop actions and cooperate on demining efforts alongside their border.
Bangkok additionally launched 18 Cambodian troopers held since July, when lethal border clashes that month killed dozens of individuals.
Thailand freed the Cambodian troopers on December 31, with its Ministry of Overseas Affairs saying their launch was “an indication of goodwill and confidence-building”.
Phnom Penh stated final week it remained “hopeful” that their launch would “considerably contribute to constructing mutual belief”.
The USA, China and Malaysia had brokered a truce to finish the combating between Cambodia and Thailand in July, however that ceasefire was short-lived.
In October, US President Donald Trump jetted to Malaysia to supervise the signing of a follow-on declaration, touting new commerce offers after the neighbours agreed to lengthen their truce.
However Bangkok suspended the settlement the next month, after Thai troopers have been wounded by landmines whereas on patrol on the border.
On Saturday, one week after the December truce went into impact, Cambodia referred to as on Thailand to tug out its forces from a number of border areas Phnom Penh claims as its personal.
The Thai navy has rejected claims it had used drive to grab Cambodian territory, insisting its forces have been current in areas that had all the time belonged to Thailand.
Whereas the 2 nations agreed late final month to cease combating, they nonetheless have to resolve the demarcation of their disputed border.
Cambodia’s Defence Ministry stated in an announcement Tuesday morning that Phnom Penh had proposed a bilateral border committee assembly with Thai counterparts to be held in Cambodia’s Siem Reap province this month.
Bangkok has stated beforehand that conferences to debate border surveying and demarcation could have to be held by Thailand’s subsequent authorities, following elections scheduled for February 8.
