Thai troops are on high alert after Cambodian soldiers reportedly fired 11 rounds near the Chong Chom checkpoint in Surin province’s Kap Choeng district, raising fears of renewed border clashes.
Thai military officials said the incident occurred on Wednesday evening when small-arms fire was detected from Cambodia’s O Smach town at several points along the border.
According to the Suranaree Task Force, the “provocative firing” was intended to test Thai troop deployments rather than to cause casualties.
Thai forces did not return fire after concluding the gunfire posed no immediate threat.
Prime Minister and Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said he had been briefed by senior army commanders and noted the shooting had occurred in Cambodian territory.
He added that Thai soldiers had earlier fired two warning shots after a group of Cambodian troops, accompanied by two foreign nationals, approached the border fence and ignored verbal warnings from Thai personnel.
“The military continues to maintain positions along the border. Cambodian forces will not be allowed to violate Thai sovereignty,” Mr Anutin said, adding that security forces were operating around the clock.
Defence Ministry spokesman RAdm Surasant Kongsiri said Thailand is committed to rules of engagement that emphasise restraint and graduated responses in accordance with international law and bilateral agreements, but warned Thai forces are ready to defend the country should incursions occur.
Army spokesman Maj Gen Winthai Suvaree accused Cambodian troops of repeated provocation since a ceasefire agreement earlier this year. He said sporadic gunfire and occasional explosions had continued along parts of the border, describing them as attempts to create tension and provoke Thai retaliation for propaganda purposes, but insisted there was currently no indication the situation would escalate into heavy armed conflict.
He characterised the dispute as increasingly centred on an “information battlefield”, with both sides contesting narratives surrounding border incidents.
Nevertheless, anxiety is growing among residents in the border districts of Buri Ram province. Many villagers have begun inspecting reinforced bunkers and shelters, while some families have strengthened underground refuges with concrete pipes and stacks of tyres.
A ceasefire has been in place between Thailand and Cambodia since late December after two eruptions of fighting along large stretches of their 817-kilometre border, the first of which ended after intervention by United States President Donald Trump.
