Bangkok: Thai and Cambodian soldiers fired at each other in a contested border area Thursday after the nations downgraded their diplomatic relations in a rapidly escalating dispute.
It was not immediately clear if the clash was ongoing. A livestream video from Thailand’s side showed people running from their homes and hiding in a concrete bunker Thursday morning as explosions sounded periodically.
The clash happened in an area where the ancient Prasat Ta Muen Thom temple stands along the border of Thailand’s Surin province and Cambodia Oddar Meanchey province.
Both Thailand and Cambodia accused each other of opening fire first.
Earlier, Cambodia said it was downgrading diplomatic relations with Thailand to their lowest level and recalling all Cambodian staff from its embassy in Bangkok.
That was in response to Thailand closing its northeastern border crossings with Cambodia, withdrawing its ambassador and expelling the Cambodian ambassador to protest a land mine blast that wounded five Thai soldiers.
Relations between the Southeast Asian neighbours have deteriorated sharply since May when a Cambodian soldier was killed in an armed confrontation in another of the several small patches of land both countries claim as their own territory.
