Violence broke out once again on the border between Thailand and Cambodia, rekindling an old but little known dispute.
Thailand on Thursday (24), while forces from both countries faced themselves throughout the border.
The climb occurred after a second Thai soldier, in a week, lost his leg in the explosion of an earthly mine, which, according to Bangkok, was placed by Cambodia in the Thai border territory.
Diplomatic relations have deteriorated as a widespread conflict threatens to hallow.
Understand the dispute over the border
What causes the recent climbing
The tensions worsened in May, when a Cambodian soldier was killed during a brief confrontation between Thai and Cambodian troops in a border area disputed in the Emerald Triangle, where Cambodia, Thailand and Laos meet.
Thai and Cambodian forces claimed to act in self -defense and blamed each other for the conflict.
Although military leaders from Thailand and Cambodia have claimed that they wanted to appease the situation, both sides have been involved in armed conflicts and reinforced the troops along the border.
Thailand has taken control of border control posts, imposed restrictions on crossings and threatened to cut electricity and the internet in Cambodia’s border cities.
In return, the neighbor suspended imports of Thai fruits and vegetables and prohibited Thai movies and soap operas.
The recent explosions of terrestrial mines led nations to demean relations between each other and summon diplomats.
The first soldier lost his leg in the explosion of an earthly mine on July 16. The second incident occurred on Wednesday (23), when an explosion injured five Thai soldiers, one of whom also lost its leg.
The violence on Thursday (24) marked a significant climb.
Why the border is disputed
Thailand and Cambodia have maintained a complex relationship of both cooperation and rivalry in recent decades.
The two countries share – largely mapped by the French when they controlled Cambodia as a colony – that has been the scene of periodic military clashes and a source of political tensions.
Cambodia had already sought a decision of the UN International Court of Justice on dispute areas, including the place of the most recent confrontation.
However, Thailand does not recognize the jurisdiction of the CIJ and claims that some areas along the border have never been fully demarcated, including locations from various old temples.
In 2011, Thai and Cambodian troops clashed in an area near the PREAH VIHEAR temple, from the eleventh century, UNESCO World Heritage Site, shifting thousands of both sides and killing at least 20 people.
What were the consequences?
The most recent conflict had huge political branches in Thailand.
The Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, after the leak of a telephone connection between her and the powerful former Cambodian leader Hun Sen, in which Shinawatra seemed to criticize the army’s own actions in the dispute.
Shinawatra comes from a powerful dynasty and became Thailand’s youngest first minister last year at the age of 38.
It can be completely fired due to the 17 -minute call – in which it seemed to signal that there was discord between its government and the Thai army.
The scandal and its suspension have brought new uncertainties to the Southeast Asian kingdom, which has been shaken by years of political turmoil and changes in leadership.
