Thailand declares curfew along coast as border fighting with Cambodia spreads
Thailand announced a curfew in its southeastern Trat province on Sunday as fighting with Cambodia spread to coastal areas of a disputed border region.
The Southeast Asian neighbours have resorted to arms several times this year since a Cambodian soldier was killed in a May skirmish, reigniting a conflict that has displaced hundreds of thousands of people on both sides of the border.
“Overall, there have been clashes continuously” since Cambodia again reiterated its openness to a ceasefire on Saturday, Thai Defence Ministry spokesman Rear Admiral Surasant Kongsiri told a press conference in Bangkok after announcing the curfew.
Thailand is open to a diplomatic solution but “Cambodia has to cease hostility first before we can negotiate,” he said.
Thai forces on Saturday said they had destroyed a bridge that Cambodia used to deliver heavy weapons and other equipment to the region and launched an operation targeting pre-positioned artillery in Cambodia’s coastal Koh Kong province. Meanwhile, Cambodia accused Thailand of striking civilian infrastructure.
Thailand and Cambodia have exchanged heavy-weapons fire at multiple points along their 817 kilometre (508 mile) border since Monday, in some of the most intense fighting since a five-day clash in July that ended with a U.S. and Malaysian mediation.
On Saturday, a White House spokesperson said President Donald Trump expected all parties to honour commitments and that “he will hold anyone accountable as necessary to stop the killing and ensure durable peace”.
