Thailand-Cambodia border skimishes reginite after US-backed truce

Thailand launched airstrikes along the disputed border with Cambodia as both sides accused the other of attacking first.

Tensions mount despite the neighbours signing a US-backed truce agreement.

Thai army spokesperson Major General Winthai Suvaree said the Cambodian troops fired first into Thai territory in multiple areas.

He said one Thai soldier was killed and four other soldiers were wounded, and civilians were being evacuated from the affected areas.

He said Thailand used aircraft "to strike military targets in several areas to suppress Cambodian supporting fire attacks."

Cambodian Defense Ministry spokesperson Maly Socheata said the Thai military attacked the Cambodian troops first.She said Cambodia did not retaliate during the initial attacks Monday.

She said "Cambodia urges Thailand immediately stop all hostile activities that threaten peace and stability in the region."

Tensions have simmered since the Southeast Asian neighbours signed a truce agreement in October pushed by US President Donald Trump after their territorial disputes led to five days of combat in July that killed dozens of soldiers and civilians.

The US-brokered ceasefire that ended July's fighting was threatened last month after Thai troops were injured by land mines.

That lead Thailand to announce it would indefinitely suspend implementation of the agreement.

Both sides continue to trade accusations over responsibility, even as they are supposed to be cooperating in getting rid of the mines.

A brief firing incident along the border occurred Sunday, after which both sides said the other fired first.

Tensions between Thailand and Cambodia go back centuries.

Their modern territorial claims stem largely from a 1907 map drawn when Cambodia was under French colonial rule.

Thailand has argued it is inaccurate.

The International Court of Justice in 1962 awarded sovereignty to Cambodia over an area that included the 1,000-year-old Preah Vihear temple.

That decision remains controversial in Thailand.

The ceasefire does not spell out a path to resolve the underlying basis of the dispute, the longstanding differences over where the border should run.