A tense stand-off unfolded on the Thai-Cambodian border early Wednesday after a brief exchange of gunfire between troops in a disputed area of Ubon Ratchathani province.
The Defence Ministry in Phnom Penh reported that one Cambodian soldier was killed in the exchange.
The clash occurred at approximately 5:30 a.m. near the Chong Bok border point in Nam Yuen district. Reports indicate that Cambodian soldiers were seen digging a trench within the contested zone.
Thai soldiers, conducting a routine patrol, confronted the Cambodian forces and asked them to halt their activity.
According to Lt Gen Boonsin Padklang, commander of the 2nd Army Region, which oversees Thailand’s Northeast, the Cambodian troops were “changing the geographic aspect of the disputed area.”
When asked to stop, they responded with gunfire, prompting a short-lived firefight. He said discussions are now underway between local authorities from both countries.
Lt Gen Boonsin urged both sides to withdraw to their original positions and await the outcome of ongoing high-level negotiations on border demarcation. He confirmed that no Thai personnel had been harmed during the incident.
Defence Minister Phumtham Wechayachai revealed this was not the first such incident. He said Cambodian soldiers had dug ditches in the same area before and were seen securing the newly excavated ground on Wednesday morning.
“The Cambodian side opened fire,” Mr Phumtham said. He added that following the exchange, a military officer close to Cambodian Defence Minister Tea Seiha phoned Thai Deputy Defence Minister Gen Natthapon Nakpanich, proposing steps to de-escalate tensions.
Mr Phumtham also confirmed that troops from both sides remained in place after the skirmish.
“I received a report from the area that the situation made the shooting response necessary for self-defence and the protection of Thai sovereignty,” he said.
“I told them to take precautions. Although the gunfire stopped, forces from both sides remain at the confrontation site.”
Earlier, army spokesman Maj Gen Winthai Suvaree said Cambodian soldiers had entered the disputed zone in breach of a prior agreement.
Thai forces approached for a dialogue, as on previous occasions, but were met with gunfire. The Thai patrol returned fire, and the two sides exchanged shots for around 10 minutes.
Deputy commanders from both militaries later spoke by phone and agreed to a ceasefire, though personnel remained stationed at the scene.
This latest incident comes just weeks after Thai and Cambodian military officials met on May 2 and agreed to withdraw troops from another disputed location — Prasat Ta Muen Thom, an ancient Khmer temple in Thailand’s Surin province.
