Bangladesh, July 24 -- Tensions along the long-contested border between Thailand and Cambodia erupted into open military conflict on July 24, when the Thai military conducted an airstrike targeting Cambodian forces. This recent escalation highlights the fragile peace and unresolved territorial disputes that have simmered between the two Southeast Asian neighbors for decades.

The root of the conflict lies in a stretch of land that has been contested since colonial times, when French Indochinas mapmaking created ambiguous borders. This legacy has caused repeated disputes over the years, particularly around the area near the 11th-century Prasat Ta Muen Thom temple, a site of both cultural and strategic significance.

Since 2008, sporadic cl...