Thai officials said that at least a dozen people were killed.
The two countries have a long-running nationalist rivalry and military clashes have occasionally turned deadly. At stake were areas like centuries-old historical temples.
2008-11
Military fighting has broken out intermittently since 2008. The last time tensions turned deadly was in 2011, when the fighting focused on a jungle border area including ancient temples to which both sides had laid claim. That same year, a United Nations court ordered the two nations to withdraw troops and establish a demilitarized zone, but the court left unresolved who would control a larger disputed territory, where troops kept clashing.
May 28, 2025
The border dispute worsened again earlier this year. Ms. Paetongtarn urged him to ignore the Thai military, referring to it as “the opposite side,” and called him “uncle.” She also offered to “arrange” anything that he wanted.
Her comments drew condemnation from Thai lawmakers, both in her coalition and the opposition. They said she appeared to disparage her own country’s military and took too much of a deferential tone with another country’s leader.
