At least one Cambodian soldier was killed on Monday after tensions with neighboring Thailand escalated, with both sides accusing each other of firing first in a disputed border area, Reuters reported, BTA reported.
Earlier, the Thai Foreign Ministry said it had asked Cambodia for an apology after accusing it of laying new anti-personnel mines and that one of them injured a Cambodian soldier on Monday.
Thailand announced yesterday that it was temporarily suspending a ceasefire agreement signed last month. The agreement was signed in the presence of US President Donald Trump and builds on the initial deal that ended five days of fighting in late July.
Cambodia has denied accusations that it has laid new mines and urged Thailand to stick to the peace agreement.
The Cambodian Defense Ministry said Thai soldiers opened fire near a village in the disputed border area at 3:50 p.m. local time (08:00 Bulgarian time). One Cambodian soldier was killed and three others were wounded in the shooting.
A Thai military spokesman, however, said the first shots were fired by Cambodian soldiers. “Thai forces took cover and returned warning shots following the rules of engagement,” the spokesman said, adding that there were no casualties on the Thai side. He said the incident lasted for 10 minutes before the shooting subsided.
At least 48 people have been killed and about 300,000 have been displaced in the military clashes that erupted in July, which have included air strikes and artillery strikes.
Landmine explosions along the disputed border were one of the catalysts for the five-day conflict. Thailand said at least seven of its soldiers had been seriously injured in mine-related incidents since July 16.
The Southeast Asian neighbors have been arguing for more than a century over areas along the 817-kilometer land border, drawn in 1907 by Cambodia's then colonial ruler, France.