Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul affirmed his country’s continued military operations against Cambodia on Friday, despite earlier claims by former U.S. President Donald Trump that a ceasefire had been agreed upon.
Continued Clashes and Conflicting Reports
“Thailand will continue to perform military actions until we feel no more harm and threats to our land and people,” Mr. Anutin said in a Facebook post. Bangkok’s joint press centre confirmed that Thai forces had “retaliated” against Cambodian military targets at 5:50 a.m. local time.
A Thai navy spokesman stated that the air force “successfully destroyed” two Cambodian bridges used to transport weapons to the conflict zone. However, Cambodian Information Minister Neth Pheaktra accused Thai forces of “expanding their attacks to include civilian infrastructure and Cambodian civilians.”
Royal Thai Air Force spokesman Chakkrit Thammavichai said the army was “using high-precision weapons to prevent the damage on innocent civilians.”
Trump’s Ceasefire Claim Contradicted
Earlier on Friday, Cambodia reported that Thailand continued bombing its territory hours after Trump said the neighbors had agreed to stop fighting. Trump had stated on his Truth Social platform on Dec. 12 that he had spoken with both prime ministers and they had agreed to “CEASE all shooting effective this evening” and revert to a previous peace accord facilitated with the help of Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.
Mr. Anutin initially stated after his call with Trump that “Cambodia is going to comply with the ceasefire,” adding that “the one who violated the agreement needs to fix (the situation) – not the one that got violated.”
Long-Running Border Dispute
The latest clashes stem from a long-running dispute over the 800km frontier between the two South-east Asian nations, a disagreement rooted in colonial-era demarcation issues. The conflict has displaced around half a million people on both sides. Both countries have blamed each other for reigniting the violence.
The Cambodian defence ministry reported on Dec. 13 that “Thai military used two F-16 fighter jets to drop seven bombs” on multiple targets, and that “Thai military aircraft have not stopped bombing yet.”
Hun Manet, the Cambodian Prime Minister, said in a Facebook post that he had suggested the U.S. and Malaysia use their intelligence capabilities “to verify which side opened fire first” on Dec. 7. He also stated that Cambodia has consistently sought peaceful resolutions to the dispute.
Mr. Anutin indicated there were “no signs” Trump would link further trade talks with the border conflict, but that he had been assured Thailand would receive “better benefits than other countries.” He also dissolved Thailand’s Parliament on Dec. 12, setting the stage for a general election early in 2026.
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