Thailand accuses Cambodia of violating hours-old ceasefire; border tensions persist

Bangkok [Thailand], July 29 : Thailand's army has accused Cambodian forces of violating a freshly brokered ceasefire, alleging that clashes continued in disputed border zones despite an agreement aimed at halting deadly fighting, Al Jazeera reported.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, Thai Army spokesman Winthai Suvaree said that Thai forces had detected multiple armed attacks launched by Cambodian troops into Thai territory shortly after the ceasefire came into effect.

"At the time the agreement took effect, the Thai side detected that Cambodian forces had launched armed attacks into several areas within Thai territory," Winthai said. "This constitutes a deliberate violation of the agreement and a clear attempt to undermine mutual trust."

"Thailand is compelled to respond appropriately, exercising its legitimate right to self-defence," he added, as reported by Al Jazeera.

The ceasefire, reached during peace talks in Malaysia, was set to begin at midnight on Monday, ending five days of border clashes that left at least 38 people dead and displaced nearly 300,000 others.

Military commanders from both nations were scheduled to meet at 7am local time (00:00 GMT) on Tuesday, followed by a broader cross-border committee meeting in Cambodia on August 4. However, according to Al Jazeera, a Thai army spokesperson said the meeting was first rescheduled to 10am (03:00 GMT), and later postponed altogether, with no new time confirmed.

Despite the reported violations, Thailand's acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai sought to downplay the situation. "There is no escalation," Phumtham told reporters. "Right now, things are calm," he added, as quoted by Al Jazeera.

Cambodian officials denied any breach of the agreement. "There had been no fighting along the border since the agreement in Malaysia," said Maly Socheata, a spokesperson for the Cambodian Ministry of National Defence, during a briefing.

Al Jazeera's Tony Cheng, reporting from Thailand's Surin province, said that while the Thai military had reported "a couple of clashes in several areas along the border," the situation overall appeared to be stabilizing. "They did issue a statement saying that the Cambodian military was not respecting the ceasefire agreement. But for the most part, it does seem to be holding," he said.

From the Cambodian side, Al Jazeera's Barnaby Lo reported from Oddar Meanchey province that local residents had not heard "any exchange of fire overnight and this morning."

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet also offered reassurance, stating in a Facebook post on Tuesday morning, "The front line has eased since the ceasefire at 12 midnight."

In a joint statement on Monday, Cambodia, Thailand, and Malaysia described the ceasefire as "a vital first step towards de-escalation and the restoration of peace and security," Al Jazeera reported.

The recent fighting marked the deadliest flare-up along the border since intermittent violence erupted between 2008 and 2011 over territorial disputes.

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