Bangkok, July 24: Thai and Cambodian soldiers fired at each other in contested border area Thursday after the nations downgraded their diplomatic relations in a rapidly escalating dispute. It was not immediately clear if the clash was ongoing. A livestream video from Thailand's side showed people running from their homes and hiding in a concrete bunker Thursday morning as explosions sounded periodically. Thailand Closes Border Crossings with Cambodia and Recalls Ambassador as Tensions Flare.

The clash happened in an area where the ancient Prasat Ta Muen Thom temple stands along the border of Thailand's Surin province and Cambodia Oddar Meanchey province. Both Thailand and Cambodia accused each other of opening fire first. Earlier, Cambodia said it was downgrading diplomatic relations with Thailand to their lowest level and recalling all Cambodian staff from its embassy in Bangkok. Thailand and Cambodia Recall Ambassadors as Border Dispute Flares.

That was in response to Thailand closing its northeastern border crossings with Cambodia, withdrawing its ambassador and expelling the Cambodian ambassador to protest a land mine blast that wounded five Thai soldiers. Relations between the Southeast Asian neighbours have deteriorated sharply since May when a Cambodian soldier was killed in an armed confrontation in another of the several small patches of land both countries claim as their own territory.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)