Tensions have erupted between Thailand and Cambodia over landmines on the border between them. -AP
There have been armed clashes between Thailand and Cambodia along a disputed area of their border, with the militaries of both countries accusing each other of firing the first shots after weeks of simmering tension.
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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.Â
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.
Cambodia responded Thursday that it was downgrading diplomatic relations with Thailand to their lowest level and recalling all Cambodian staff from its embassy in Bangkok.
Relations between the Southeast Asian neighbors have deteriorated sharply since May when a Cambodian soldier was killed in an armed confrontation in one of several small patches of land both countries claim as their own territory.
Thailand says the landmines had been placed in the area recently - allegations Cambodia describes as baseless.
Cambodia has many landmines left over from its civil war decades ago, numbering in the millions according to de-mining groups.
The situation at the Thai Cambodia border remains delicate and must be addressed with care and with measures in line with international law, Thailand's acting premier said on Thursday.
