Thursday, July 24

Tensions between Thailand and Cambodia have skyrocketed amid growing conflicts near the border, leading both countries to heavily downgrade relations with each other.

Both countries have accused each other of striking first, with the incident taking place near the historical temple of Ta Muen Thom, located in the southern Thai province of Surin.

Thailand claims that they had spotted a Cambodian surveillance drone near the temple before heavily armed Cambodian troops arrived, where they exchanged fire in an intense outburst of fighting. Two Thai soldiers were injured, and at least three civilians were injured after the Cambodian troops allegedly opened fire in the nearby district of Kap Choeng.

However, Cambodia has argued that their troops were acting out of self-defense, claiming that the Thai soldiers had begun the exchange of gunfire.

Nevertheless, Thailand continued to retaliate, launching several F-16 fighter jets into Cambodia to deal with the situation. Thailand claimed that they had struck multiple military installments within Cambodia, but Cambodia did not confirm the claim. Additionally, the Cambodian President of the Senate, Hun Sen, confirmed that at least two Cambodian provinces had been shelled, and Prime Minister Hun Manet stated that they would respond.

Due to previous border disputes in the area, Thailand and Cambodia maintain a demilitarized zone (DMZ) along much of their border, leading to large spikes in tensions when that space is violated.

Tensions initially began to rise in May when another exchange of gunfire resulted in the death of a Cambodian soldier. Then, earlier in the week, a Thai soldier lost his leg after a landmine explosion, injuring four other soldiers as well. After that incident, Thailand downgraded their relations with Cambodia, calling their ambassador back and sending Cambodia's ambassador back to their country.

Now, those tensions have sunk even lower, with both countries calling foreign staff home, and there is a possibility of the conflict escalating even further if Cambodia decides to strike back.

Fact of the Day (The Fact Site): Octopuses and squids have beaks. The beak is made of keratin – the same material that a bird’s beak and our fingernails are made of.

Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): The greater the difficulty, the more glory in surmounting it. Skillful pilots gain their reputation from storms and tempests. (Epictetus)

Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Logy (adj, LOH-ghee) - Like sluggish and groggy, logy describes a person who is not able to think or move normally because of being tired, sick, etc., or something that moves slowly and ploddingly.

In a Sentence: The heavy meal left me feeling logy and in need of a nap.