Thailand's Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has vehemently denied claims of a ceasefire with Cambodia, despite US President Donald Trump announcing that both countries had agreed to halt fighting.
Heavy clashes along the border continued on Saturday as Thai forces launched airstrikes, including fighter jets, while Cambodian troops fired rocket barrages in what Anutin described as "retaliatory" action. At least two civilians were seriously injured by Cambodian fire while running to a bunker. The violence has left dozens dead and hundreds of thousands displaced over the past week.
Trump's earlier announcement of the ceasefire was met with skepticism from Thai officials, who claimed it did not reflect an accurate understanding of the situation. "We regret and we're disappointed that some of the points made by president Trump have bearing upon the feeling of the Thai people," said Sihasak Phuangketkeow, Thailand's foreign minister.
Cambodia has not commented on Trump's announcement. However, Prime Minister Hun Manet advised the US and Malaysia to use their intelligence gathering capabilities to verify which side fired first in the latest round of fighting. "Thailand will continue to perform military actions until we feel no more harm and threats to our land and people," Charnvirakul said.
The roots of the conflict between Thailand and Cambodia are rooted in a history of territorial disputes, with competing claims dating back to 1907. Tensions were further inflamed by an international court ruling in 1962 that awarded sovereignty to Cambodia, which remains contentious among Thais.
Thailand has used jet fighters to carry out airstrikes on what it says are military targets, while Cambodian troops have deployed BM-21 rocket launchers with a range of 30-40km. The rockets have caused significant damage and loss of life, including six Thai soldiers killed by rocket shrapnel.
The fighting has been exacerbated by a bitter propaganda war between the two countries, with minor cross-border violence continuing despite the reported ceasefire.
Heavy clashes along the border continued on Saturday as Thai forces launched airstrikes, including fighter jets, while Cambodian troops fired rocket barrages in what Anutin described as "retaliatory" action. At least two civilians were seriously injured by Cambodian fire while running to a bunker. The violence has left dozens dead and hundreds of thousands displaced over the past week.
Trump's earlier announcement of the ceasefire was met with skepticism from Thai officials, who claimed it did not reflect an accurate understanding of the situation. "We regret and we're disappointed that some of the points made by president Trump have bearing upon the feeling of the Thai people," said Sihasak Phuangketkeow, Thailand's foreign minister.
Cambodia has not commented on Trump's announcement. However, Prime Minister Hun Manet advised the US and Malaysia to use their intelligence gathering capabilities to verify which side fired first in the latest round of fighting. "Thailand will continue to perform military actions until we feel no more harm and threats to our land and people," Charnvirakul said.
The roots of the conflict between Thailand and Cambodia are rooted in a history of territorial disputes, with competing claims dating back to 1907. Tensions were further inflamed by an international court ruling in 1962 that awarded sovereignty to Cambodia, which remains contentious among Thais.
Thailand has used jet fighters to carry out airstrikes on what it says are military targets, while Cambodian troops have deployed BM-21 rocket launchers with a range of 30-40km. The rockets have caused significant damage and loss of life, including six Thai soldiers killed by rocket shrapnel.
The fighting has been exacerbated by a bitter propaganda war between the two countries, with minor cross-border violence continuing despite the reported ceasefire.
they're literally still firing at each other despite trump saying they agreed to stop, and ppl are gettin seriously hurt 
like 2 civilians got injured by cambodian fire while tryin to escape to a bunker... that's just not okay 
they're all like "we regret and we're disappointed" but like, don't they trust the guy? 
or maybe it's just a big mess over here 
either way, i hope ppl on both sides can get along & find some peace soon 
. I mean, what's the point of Trump even making that announcement if it was just gonna get brushed off by the Thai government? It's like he's trying to help and they're just not having it 
. And now we got civilians getting seriously injured, it's just horrific 
.
. I mean, six Thai soldiers killed by rocket shrapnel? That's not just numbers, that's people who had families and friends 
.
It's not like it's that hard to resolve conflicts peacefully, but no... instead we're stuck with airstrikes and rocket barrages 
.
The fact that the Thai government is calling out Trump for "not understanding the situation" is code for "we're still gonna keep bombing Cambodia". 
And what's with the Cambodian troops deploying BM-21 rocket launchers like they're playing a game of airsoft? 
. One minute he's saying there's a ceasefire, next minute it's like, nope, we're still at war 
️
so like i think its crazy how this whole situation is going on 
between thailand and cambodia... theyre both saying stuff that makes sense but also sounds super contradictory 
but didnt thailand already do airstrikes on what they said were military targets 
and its just getting worse 
with all these rockets and soldiers involved 
! Trump thinks he's some kind of broker or something, but honestly it just seems like more of the same... both sides are just using it as an excuse to bomb each other 
. And what really gets me is that we're still stuck on these territorial disputes from 1907... shouldn't we be trying to move forward by now? 
and its still not resolved. Its all about who owns what land and stuff... 
I just wish they could put their differences aside and try to be friends instead of always fighting