THAI-CAMBODIAN BORDER WAR: FROM SKIRMISH TO AIRSTRIKES

Preah Vihear, an ancient Khmer clifftop temple claimed by both Thailand and Cambodia, embodies a century of disputed borders, wounded pride, and weaponised heritage today.

- TDG NETWORK

Thailand deployed F-16 Fighting Falcons during the 8 December 2025 clash to suppress Cambodian artillery, marking one of the rare times ASEAN members used air power against each other.

On Monday, a fragile ceasefire along the Thailand-Cambodia frontier collapsed into the worst violence the two neighbours had seen since mid-July. At dawn Cambodian and Thai forces traded artillery, rockets and small-arms fire around the contested border near Preah Vihear and Oddar Meanchey provinces. Thailand accused Cambodian troops of opening fire on its forward posts at 05:00 (local time), killing a Thai soldier and wounding eight others. Cambodia retorted that Thai units fired first at Cambodian positions in An Ses and Ta Moan Thom and insisted its own troops had not returned fire. Within hours the Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) scrambled F-16 fighters and helicopter gunships to strike Cambodian artillery batteries and command posts. As shells fell on both sides, at least four Cambodian civilians were killed and about nine or ten others were injured, while tens of thousands of frightened villagers fled border districts. Thai authorities said more than 50 000-385 000 people were ordered to evacuate from four border provinces, and more than 35 000 had already sought refuge in shelters by Monday morning.