BANGKOK — The Royal Thai Army launched air strikes against military targets along its disputed border with Cambodia on Monday, marking a dangerous escalation in hostilities that appears to have shattered a fragile ceasefire agreement signed only two months ago.
Thai Army spokesman Major General Winthai Suvaree confirmed the operation in a televised briefing, stating that the air force had targeted "enemy fire support bases" in response to repeated violations of the truce by Cambodian forces.
"We have launched air strikes to protect our sovereignty and the lives of our soldiers," Maj. Gen. Winthai said. "After our warnings were ignored, we had no choice but to neutralize the heavy artillery positions threatening our troops and civilians."
Escalation to Air Power
The deployment of F-16 fighter jets marks the most significant use of force between the two Southeast Asian neighbors since the fierce border war of July 2025.
According to military sources, the strikes, which occurred shortly after dawn on December 8, targeted three specific locations: a command post near the Preah Vihear temple complex, and artillery batteries in the Phu Pha Lek and Phlan Hin Paet Kon areas.
The operation follows a violent weekend skirmish in Si Sa Ket province. On Sunday, Thai authorities accused Cambodian troops of firing mortars and heavy machine guns at a Thai engineering unit attempting to repair a border patrol road. The attack resulted in the death of one Thai ranger and left four others critically wounded.
Mass Evacuations Ordered
Fearing a widening conflict, the Thai government has declared a state of emergency in four northeastern provinces: Si Sa Ket, Surin, Buriram, and Ubon Ratchathani.
Authorities have begun the immediate evacuation of civilians living within a 10-kilometer radius of the border. Local television footage showed convoys of pickup trucks and military vehicles transporting thousands of villagers to temporary shelters set up in schools and town halls further inland.
"We packed whatever we could carry and ran," said Maliwan Srisuk, a 45-year-old farmer from Kantharalak district. "We thought the fighting was over after the deal in October. We never thought the jets would come back."
A Blow to Diplomatic Efforts
The renewal of open warfare serves as a stark embarrassment for international diplomatic efforts, specifically those of U.S. President Donald Trump.
In October 2025, President Trump, alongside Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, presided over a high-profile signing ceremony in Kuala Lumpur. The "Kuala Lumpur Accord" was intended to end the decades-long dispute over the 4.6-square-kilometer scrubland surrounding the 11th-century Preah Vihear temple.
The agreement established a demilitarized zone (DMZ) and joint patrols. However, both Bangkok and Phnom Penh have spent the last few weeks trading accusations that the other side was reinforcing bunkers and replanting landmines inside the DMZ.
Cambodia Condemns "Act of War"
The Cambodian government in Phnom Penh has reacted with fury. A spokesperson for the Cambodian Council of Ministers described the air strikes as "an act of undeclared war" and a "flagrant violation of international law."
"Thailand creates a lie about us firing first to justify their aggression," the spokesperson stated on Monday. "They are bombing our sovereign territory. We reserve the right to defend our nation by all means necessary."
Cambodia has reportedly moved tanks and rocket launchers closer to the border in Preah Vihear province in anticipation of a ground offensive.
Historical Tensions
The border dispute is rooted in conflicting maps drawn during the French colonial era. While the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled in 1962 that the Preah Vihear temple belongs to Cambodia, the land surrounding it has remained claimed by both nations.
Nationalist sentiment runs high on both sides of the border, making compromise difficult for political leaders in both Bangkok and Phnom Penh. With the October truce now in tatters, international observers fear the skirmish could spiral into a prolonged regional conflict, potentially drawing in ASEAN partners to mediate a crisis that many hoped had been solved.
08 December
