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Clashes erupted at the Thailand-Cambodia border after both sides accused each other of encroachment, with Thai forces using tear gas and rubber bullets to control protesters.
hai army and police preparing to lay barbed wire in a disputed area along the Cambodia-Thailand border (Photo: AFP)
Fresh clashes erupted at the Thailand-Cambodia border on Wednesday after Cambodia’s information minister Neth Pheaktra said 23 Cambodians were injured.
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He also accused Thai officials of encroaching across the border, and said they used “tear gas, rubber bullets and noise-making devices against Cambodian civilians.”
However, the Thai military claimed its army personnel were laying barbed wire on the border in Sa Kaeo when around 200 Cambodians gathered to protest.
“It became necessary to use tear gas and rubber bullets to control the situation, and make the crowd pull back from the area,” it said, adding the Cambodians had thrown rocks and other items at Thai personnel.
“Cambodians violated Thai soil and Cambodian authorities did not stop them, it was a provocation which is a violation of the ceasefire,” news agency AFP quoted the Thai military as saying.
The incident marks the first use of rubber bullets or tear gas by Thai forces on the border since July’s ceasefire.
Pheaktra was quoted as saying that local authorities reported 23 Cambodians, including a soldier and a Buddhist monk, had been injured.
The stand-off took place on Cambodian territory in Banteay Meanchey province, he added in a message released to the media.
A widely shared video on social media showed a Cambodian picking up a tear gas grenade bare-handed and throwing it towards the Thai officers.
The clashes were reported from a disputed border area, and were being seen as the most significant escalation since both sides declared a ceasefire to end a deadly five-day conflict in July.
(News18 could not independently verify the authenticity of the video).
THE THAILAND-CAMBODIA BORDER DISPUTE
Thailand has been maintaining that the disputed frontier settlement is a part of its Ban Nong Ya Kaew village in Sa Kaeo province, while Cambodia says it is a part of Prey Chan village in Bantheay Meanchey province.
Last month, the Thai authorities erected barbed wire fences in the area, and for weeks there have been protests by civilians from both sides of the border.
About the Author
Vani Mehrotra is the Deputy News Editor at News18.com. She has nearly 10 years of experience in both national and international news and has previously worked on multiple desks.
Vani Mehrotra is the Deputy News Editor at News18.com. She has nearly 10 years of experience in both national and international news and has previously worked on multiple desks.
September 18, 2025, 11:24 IST
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