Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said on Saturday his country would continue military attacks on Cambodia until it felt threatened by its neighbor, telling local media that there was no ceasefire.
Anutin wrote on Facebook that Thailand would “continue military action until we feel no harm and threat to our land and people,” and told reporters that Cambodia should be the first to end its attacks.
“I want to make this clear. Our actions this morning have already shown that,” he said.
Authorities say more than 500,000 people have been displaced and more than 20 have been killed, including many civilians, while hundreds of others have been injured in the latest cross-border clashes since the rekindling of a long-running territorial dispute this year.
Anutin’s statement came after US President Donald Trump said on Friday that the two countries had agreed to stop fighting after several days of clashes along their shared 800 kilometer (about 550 mile) border.
Cambodia confirms attacks
Cambodia’s Defense Ministry also said in a post on Facebook that “Thai forces have not stopped the bombardment and are still continuing the bombardment.”
Its information minister, Neth Phektra, said Thai forces had “expanded their attacks to include civilian infrastructure and Cambodian civilians”, a claim Thailand denied.
Royal Thai Air Force spokesman Chakrit Thammavichai said the Thai military was “using high-precision weapons to prevent harm to innocent civilians.”
Trump says ceasefire agreed upon in phone call
On Friday, Trump, who is mediating the conflict, said he had spoken by phone with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet and Anutin, writing on his Truth social platform that the two leaders had agreed on one truth.
“They have agreed to cease all shooting effective this evening and return to the original peace agreement agreed upon in July,” Trump wrote, calling the call a “very good conversation.”
After the call, Anutin said Cambodia was “going to abide by the ceasefire”, adding: “Whoever violated the agreement needs to be fixed. [the situation],
Cambodia’s Hun Manet said his country “has always adhered to peaceful methods for dispute resolution.”
Long-running Thai-Cambodian border dispute
A ceasefire was brokered by the US, China and Malaysia in July following a five-day clash, after which the warring parties announced plans to extend the ceasefire.
However, the agreement was suspended in November after Thai soldiers were injured by landmines along the border.
The border dispute dates back to the 1950s, when Cambodia gained independence from France, and first centered on the disputed ownership of the ancient Hindu Preah Vihear temple before expanding to include other border areas.
Edited by: Wesley Rahn