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BANGKOK: Thailand's army said on Tuesday (Jan 6) its Cambodian counterpart claimed fresh cross-border fire was an accident, after Bangkok said its neighbour's forces violated a 10-day-old truce.
"A military unit in the area was contacted by the Cambodian side who claimed there was no intention to fire into Thai territory and said the incident was caused by an operational error by Cambodian personnel," the Thai army said in a statement.
The Thai army had earlier said in a statement that Cambodia on Tuesday morning "violated the ceasefire", accusing Cambodian forces of firing mortar rounds into Thailand's Ubon Ratchathani province.
One soldier was wounded by shrapnel and was evacuated for medical treatment, it said, adding that the soldier's injuries were "minor" and "not life-threatening".
The Thai army said the "explosion" incident happened at 7.25am local time and that the cause is under investigation.
The decades-old dispute between the Southeast Asian neighbours erupted into military clashes several times last year, with fighting in December killing dozens of people and displacing around a million on both sides.
The two countries agreed to a truce on Dec 27, ending three weeks of clashes.
The nations' long-standing conflict stems from a dispute over the colonial-era demarcation of their 800km border, where both sides claim territory and centuries-old temple ruins.
Under the December truce, Cambodia and Thailand pledged to cease fire, freeze troop movements and cooperate on demining efforts along their border.
Bangkok also agreed to release 18 Cambodian soldiers held since July when deadly border clashes that month killed dozens of people.
Thailand freed the Cambodian soldiers on Dec 31, with its foreign ministry saying their release was "a demonstration of goodwill and confidence-building".
Phnom Penh said last week it remained "hopeful" that their release would "significantly contribute to building mutual trust".
The United States, China and Malaysia had brokered a truce to end the fighting between Cambodia and Thailand in July, but that ceasefire was short-lived.
In October, US President Donald Trump jetted to Malaysia to oversee the signing of a follow-on declaration, touting new trade deals after the neighbours agreed to prolong their truce.
But Bangkok suspended the agreement the following month, after Thai soldiers were wounded by landmines while on patrol at the border.
On Saturday, one week after the December truce went into effect, Cambodia called on Thailand to pull out its forces from several border areas Phnom Penh claims as its own.
The Thai military has rejected claims it had used force to seize Cambodia territory, insisting its forces were present in areas that had always belonged to Thailand.
While the two nations agreed late last month to stop fighting, they still need to resolve the demarcation of their disputed border.
Cambodia's defence ministry said in a statement Tuesday morning that Phnom Penh had proposed a bilateral border committee meeting with Thai counterparts to be held in Cambodia's Siem Reap province this month.
Bangkok has said previously that meetings to discuss border surveying and demarcation may need to be held by Thailand's next government, following elections scheduled for Feb 8.
