While U.S. President Donald Trump, the main international supporter of the peace agreement signed in October between Thailand and Cambodia, publicly urged both parties to fulfill the commitments made in the ceasefire, the reality on the ground contradicted any hint of relaxation. The armies of these two Southeast Asian neighbors continued fighting along the border.
On Tuesday morning, Bangkok authorities claimed to have detected Cambodian forces inside Thai territory, specifically in the southern province of Trat. According to the official account, this incursion had forced the Thai army to launch a "military operation" to expel foreign troops and regain control of the area.
"Cambodian rockets, suicide drones, and artillery projectiles hit three northeastern provinces of Thailand on Tuesday morning," added a spokesperson for the Thai army.
The Buddhist kingdom authorities released images of damage caused by Cambodian artillery fire in a residential area of another province, Sa Kaeo. According to their version, this demonstrated an attack on civilians.
However, from Phnom Penh, the version provided was radically different. Cambodian authorities reported that two civilians died during nighttime bombings by the Thai army and accused Bangkok of a deliberate escalation of the conflict.
Images broadcast by Cambodian state television showed rural roads congested with huge traffic jams of cars, motorcycles, agricultural vehicles, and trucks, amidst massive evacuations from border areas considered high-risk.
Almost identical scenes were unfolding on the other side of the dividing line, which stretches along 817 kilometers. In Thailand, authorities reported the evacuation of nearly 438,000 civilians from five border provinces, while other residents chose to seek refuge in makeshift bunkers or even in large concrete pipes used as emergency protection. The gravity of the situation also led to the closure of several hospitals located in areas directly threatened by the fighting.
Both governments accuse each other of initiating hostilities over the weekend, in a conflict that escalated significantly on Monday after an airstrike by the Thai army against military targets in Cambodian territory. That operation resulted in at least four civilian deaths.
"The army's goal is to paralyze Cambodia's military capability for a long time and thus ensure the safety of our children and grandchildren," said the Chief of the Thai Army's General Staff, General Chaipruak Doungprapat.
These clashes are the most intense since the missile and artillery exchange last July, when at least 48 people lost their lives and around 300,000 were forced to leave their homes. That crisis was only contained through direct mediation by Donald Trump, who promoted a ceasefire and later the signing of a peace agreement in October. The ceremony, held in Malaysia as a neutral country, symbolized a commitment to reconciliation under U.S. auspices.
However, the fragility of that agreement was quickly exposed. In November, Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul announced the unilateral suspension of the joint peace declaration, accusing Cambodia of placing anti-personnel mines inside Thai territory. The explosion of one of them caused several injuries, including a soldier who lost a limb, sparking outrage in the Thai public opinion and reviving old historical resentments.