Just a day after Thailand and Cambodia agreed to an “immediate” ceasefire, fresh tensions surfaced along the border. Thailand has accused Cambodia of sending more than 250 drones into its airspace, raising questions about how fragile the new truce really is
Thailand’s army on Monday accused Cambodia of violating a freshly signed ceasefire agreement by flying more than 250 drones across the border, just a day after both sides pledged to halt hostilities following weeks of deadly clashes.
According to the Thai military, the incident took place on Sunday night, raising fresh concerns about how durable the truce between the two Southeast Asian neighbours really is.
The ceasefire, agreed on Saturday, was meant to cool tensions after
renewed fighting along the border killed dozens of people and displaced more than a million this month.
When drones cross the line
In a statement, the Thai army said that “more than 250 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) were detected flying from the Cambodian side, intruding into Thailand’s sovereign territory”.
The army called the drone activity a serious provocation, warning that it undermined efforts to de-escalate the situation. “Such actions constitute provocation and a violation of measures aimed at reducing tensions, which are inconsistent with the Joint Statement agreed” during a bilateral border committee meeting on Saturday, the statement added.
Thai officials have not said whether the drones were military or civilian in nature, but the sheer number involved has heightened suspicions and reignited unease along the volatile frontier.
Cambodia downplays incident
Cambodia has struck a calmer note. Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn said the issue had already been discussed between both sides and that they had agreed to look into it quickly.
Speaking in remarks aired on state television, Prak Sokhonn said the two countries would investigate and “resolve it immediately”. He played down the seriousness of the episode, describing it as “a small issue related to flying drones seen by both sides along the border line”.
The drone accusations come just days after Thailand and Cambodia agreed to an “immediate” ceasefire aimed at ending the latest round of border fighting. The clashes, which spread to nearly every border province on both sides, shattered an earlier truce, one for which
US President Donald Trump had taken credit.
Under the agreement signed on Saturday, the two countries committed to halting military operations, freezing troop movements, and working together on demining efforts and combating cybercrime.
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