SACHA PFEIFFER, HOST:
The militaries of Thailand and Cambodia attacked each other overnight. At least 12 people are dead, including 11 civilians, according to Thailand's minister of health. That fighting is the latest in an escalating border dispute between the two countries. Joining us now from Chiang Rai, Thailand, is reporter Michael Sullivan. Michael, thanks for coming on.
MICHAEL SULLIVAN, BYLINE: Hi.
PFEIFFER: Tell us more details about this fighting.
SULLIVAN: Well, the Thai military says the clashes began early this morning near a disputed temple complex about 225 miles east of the capital, Bangkok. The Thais claimed Cambodian troops opened fire in the area early in the morning, wounding Thai soldiers. Cambodia blamed the Thais for what it called an unprovoked incursion that its troops responded to in self-defense. The Thai military says it's since carried out airstrikes against Cambodian positions, as this long-simmering conflict has quickly escalated dramatically.
The fighting today follows the Thais' decision to expel the Cambodian ambassador and recall its own from Phnom Penh after a Thai soldier lost his leg on Wednesday to a land mine that the Thais say injured several other soldiers. Last week, three Thai soldiers were injured by a mine Bangkok claimed was laid recently. Phnom Penh rejected that claim and accused the Thai soldiers of wandering off agreed paths in the disputed area, triggering a mine left over from decades of conflict in the country.
PFEIFFER: Michael, what is causing this latest fighting?
SULLIVAN: Well, this latest round of tension started when a Cambodian soldier was shot and killed in a disputed area back in May. And it's built since then, fanned by nationalist rhetoric spewed by politicians on both sides of the border. And the political dimension to this can't be discounted at all. The Thai prime minister, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, was recently suspended from office after a leaked phone call a little over a month ago between her and former Cambodian strongman Hun Sen. In that phone call leaked by Hun Sen, the Thai prime minister appeared to be appeasing the former strongman, and that phone call ruffled many nationalist feathers here in Thailand. Earlier this month, Cambodia announced it would start mandatory military conscription.
PFEIFFER: Michael, earlier you referenced decades of conflict. Would you review some of that history between these two countries?
SULLIVAN: Yeah, well, there's been a long history along Thailand's eastern border, where there's a number of religious sites that both sides claim as their own. And this has caused trouble for decades, especially around the thousand-year-old Preah Vihear Temple complex. In 1962, the International Court of Justice awarded sovereignty over the area to Cambodia, and the Thais have been quietly fuming ever since. In and around 2011, fighting erupted near the temple, killing more than a dozen and displacing many more.
PFEIFFER: And what's expected to happen between these two countries from here?
SULLIVAN: It's unclear, but if this escalates, it's not going to do the economy of either country any good. Cross-border trade between the two is worth billions, and that's already been affected. And then there's the potential knock-on effect on tourism, with travelers maybe thinking twice about that tropical vacation in Southeast Asia if it involves a country at war. Smart money would suggest both sides de-escalate. China has already volunteered to help them do it.
PFEIFFER: That is reporter Michael Sullivan in Chiang Rai, Thailand. Michael, thank you.
SULLIVAN: You're welcome.
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