The Defense Attache of the Royal Embassy of Cambodia to Thailand, Horm Khim (R) arrives for a meeting at the Royal Thai Army headquarters in Bangkok, Thailand, 22 July 2025. The Thai military has invited defense attaches from several countries to clarify the situation regarding the Thailand-Cambodia border issue, aiming to promote transparency and prevent misunderstandings, after a landmine explosion injured three Thai soldiers during a patrol operation along the border with Cambodia on 16 July. Tensions between Thailand and Cambodia have escalated following a brief military clash in May 2025, with both countries increasing their military presence along the border and imposing measures against each other. EPA/NARONG SANGNAK In a statement, the Thai military said Cambodian troops had opened fire in an area near the disputed Ta Moan Thom temple. It said Cambodia had deployed a surveillance drone before sending troops to the area with heavy weapons.
A spokesperson for Cambodia's defence ministry said there had been an unprovoked incursion by Thai troops and Cambodian forces had responded in self-defence.
The clash came after Thailand recalled its ambassador to Cambodia on Wednesday and said it would expel Cambodia's envoy in Bangkok, after a second Thai soldier in the space of a week lost a limb to a landmine in the disputed area.
Thailand has said the landmines had been placed in the area recently, which Cambodia has described as baseless allegations.
Cambodia has many landmines left over from its civil war decades ago, numbering in the millions according to de-mining groups.
(Reporting by panu Wongcha-um; Writing by Devjyot Ghoshal; Editing by Martin Petty)