At least eight people have been killed in renewed fighting on the Thai-Cambodian border, officials said on Tuesday, as Bangkok accused Phnom Penh of launching cross-border rocket attacks despite a White House warning to end the bloodshed.
The latest escalation has shattered a shaky US-steered truce that had largely held since late October, when Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and Cambodian leader Hun Manet agreed to halt hostilities under a deal witnessed by US President Donald Trump in Kuala Lumpur.
That ceasefire deal has since crumbled, with each side blaming the other for attacking first and insisting its own military actions are defensive.
Thailand said it launched pre-emptive air operations against Cambodian military positions on Monday based on intelligence of planned rocket strikes, which materialised in earnest early on Tuesday.
In a statement on Tuesday morning, the Thai Navy said Cambodian forces had been detected inside Thai territory in the coastal province of Trat and military operations were launched to expel them, without providing further details.
