![](https://bharatshakti.in/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/LT-BSI-Defence.gif")
Thailand carried out airstrikes inside Cambodian territory on Monday, shattering a fragile ceasefire that US President Donald Trump had touted as a landmark breakthrough in one of Southeast Asia’s longest-running border disputes.
Bangkok said the strikes were triggered by Cambodian military activities that “could pose a threat to the Thai border area.” In a statement, the Thai government accused Phnom Penh of mobilising heavy weaponry, repositioning combat units and preparing fire-support elements – steps it claimed risked “escalating military operations.”
“These developments prompted the use of air power to deter and reduce Cambodia’s military capabilities to the minimum level necessary to safeguard national security and protect civilians,” the statement said. The Royal Thai Air Force insisted that its missions targeted only military infrastructure, weapons depots, command centres and logistics routes, and were conducted “with caution” in line with international law.
The clashes are the most serious since the Kuala Lumpur Peace Accords were signed in late October at the ASEAN Summit, where Trump and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim presided over the ceremony. The pact required troop withdrawals and confidence-building talks and was presented by Washington as a diplomatic coup. Trump claimed he had used tariff pressure and the promise of a preliminary trade deal with Cambodia to secure the agreement – part of what he openly described as his pursuit of a Nobel Peace Prize.
But analysts had warned from the outset that the accord papered over deep historical grievances. The core territorial disputes, rooted in colonial-era maps, remained unresolved, and mistrust lingered between the two militaries, long driven by nationalist sentiment.
Those concerns have now resurfaced. Cambodia’s defence ministry said it had not retaliated, accusing Thailand of “provocative action” over the past days leading up to the strikes. Thai authorities, for their part, pointed to cross-border shelling from Cambodian positions. Phnom Penh said at least three people had been injured so far.
Tensions had been rising for weeks. Thailand recently suspended follow-up talks, alleging that Cambodian troops had planted new landmines in contested areas, injuring Thai soldiers – charges Cambodia rejected.
Monday’s hostilities have left the already shaky ceasefire in ruins and triggered fresh waves of evacuees fleeing the border zone, raising fears that the region is once again sliding toward a broader confrontation.
Team BharatShakti
