- Cambodia says two civilians were killed overnight.
- A Thai soldier dies in combat.
- Each side blames the other for the clashes.
Thailand said it was taking steps to expel Cambodian forces from its territory on Tuesday, as fresh fighting between the two Southeast Asian neighbors spread along the disputed border.
Each side has blamed the other for the clashes, which derailed a fragile ceasefire brokered by US President Donald Trump and ended five days of fighting in July.
Cambodia's Defense Ministry said two civilians had died overnight, raising the death toll to six. A Thai soldier has been killed in the fighting.
In a statement issued on Tuesday morning, the Thai navy said Cambodian forces had been detected inside Thai territory in the coastal province of Trat and that military operations had been launched to expel them, without providing further details.
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet said Monday night that Thailand “should not use military force to attack civilian villages under the pretext of reclaiming its sovereignty.”
Previously, Cambodia said it had not retaliated even after its forces came under sustained attack.
The Thai navy said Cambodian forces were increasing their presence, deploying snipers and heavy weapons, improving fortified positions and digging trenches, adding that it viewed the actions “as a direct and serious threat to Thailand's sovereignty.”
Monday's clashes were the fiercest since a five-day exchange of rockets and heavy artillery in July, when at least 48 people were killed and 300,000 displaced, before Trump intervened to negotiate a ceasefire.
Thailand evacuated 438,000 civilians in five border provinces and Cambodian authorities said hundreds of thousands of people had been moved to safety. Thailand's military said 18 soldiers were wounded and Cambodia's government reported nine civilians were wounded.
Thailand and Cambodia have for more than a century disputed sovereignty at undemarcated points along their 817-kilometer (508-mile) land border, with disputes over ancient temples stirring nationalist fervor and occasional armed clashes, including a deadly week-long artillery exchange in 2011.
Tensions increased in May after the death of a Cambodian soldier during a skirmish, which caused a significant concentration of troops on the border and led to diplomatic ruptures and armed clashes.
