Thai army says Cambodia border strike wounds soldier, violates truce

BANGKOK, Thailand — Thailand's army said Cambodian forces violated a 10-day-old truce on Tuesday, bombarding a border province with mortars that wounded one soldier.

"Cambodia has violated the ceasefire" on Tuesday morning, the Thai army said in a statement, accusing Cambodian forces of firing mortar rounds into Thailand's Ubon Ratchathani province.

One soldier was wounded by shrapnel and being evacuated for medical treatment, it added.

The decades-old dispute between the Southeast Asian neighbors erupted into military clashes several times last year, with fighting in December killing dozens of people and displacing around one million on both sides.

The two countries agreed a truce on December 27, ending three weeks of clashes.

Cambodia's defense ministry spokeswoman Maly Socheata declined to comment on the alleged strike on Tuesday.

The nations' long-standing conflict stems from a dispute over the colonial-era demarcation of their 800-kilometer (500-mile) border, where both sides claim territory and centuries-old temple ruins.

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

Bangkok also agreed to release 18 Cambodian soldiers held since July when deadly border clashes that month killed dozens of people.

Thailand freed the Cambodian soldiers on December 31, with its foreign ministry saying their release was "a demonstration of goodwill and confidence-building."

Phnom Penh said last week it remained "hopeful" that their release would "significantly contribute to building mutual trust."

The United States, China and Malaysia had brokered a truce to end the fighting between Cambodia and Thailand in July, but that ceasefire was short-lived.

In October, US President Donald Trump jetted to Malaysia to oversee the signing of a follow-on declaration, touting new trade deals after the neighbors agreed to prolong their truce.

But Bangkok suspended the agreement the following month, after Thai soldiers were wounded by landmines while on patrol at the border.

On Saturday, one week after the December truce went into effect, Cambodia called on Thailand to pull out its forces from several border areas Phnom Penh claims as its own.

The Thai military has rejected claims it had used force to seize Cambodia territory, insisting its forces were present in areas that had always belonged to Thailand.

While the two nations agreed late last month to stop fighting, they still need to resolve the demarcation of their disputed border.

Cambodia's defense ministry said in a statement Tuesday morning that Phnom Penh had proposed a bilateral border committee meeting with Thai counterparts to be held in Cambodia's Siem Reap province this month.

Bangkok has said previously that meetings to discuss border surveying and demarcation may need to be held by Thailand's next government, following elections scheduled for February 8. — Agence France-Presse