BANGKOK: Fresh fighting erupted on the Thai-Cambodian border, both armies said Friday, shattering a truce aimed at ending the bloodiest clashes between the neighbours in decades as the toll rose to 16.
One Thai soldier died and four were wounded in sporadic skirmishes that broke out hours after a ceasefire deal was agreed on Thursday, Colonel Prawit Hookaew, Thailand's northeastern army region spokesman, said.
"The situation is now calming but still tense," he added after the skirmishes flared overnight.
Fighting around two temples at the jungle frontier between the countries, now in its eighth day, has caused tens of thousands of people to flee from their homes.
"There was a brief clash early on Friday," Cambodian field commander Suos Sothea told AFP by telephone, without giving further details.
Nevertheless, Thai Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban indicated there might be a chance to salvage the truce.
"It's not considered a breach of ceasefire because they have used personal firearms. But if the clash expands with heavy weapons, that means the agreement is no longer valid," he told reporters.
Both sides had reacted cautiously to Thursday's peace deal, struck after talks among local commanders.
Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said on Thursday that the agreement was a "good sign", but added that "we have to wait and see whether real peace has been achieved".
Thai and Cambodian commanders had agreed at the talks to reopen a border gate and "create a climate to allow civilians to return home", according to the Cambodian defence ministry.
Seven Thai troops and eight Cambodian soldiers have died since the clashes began last Friday. Bangkok has said a Thai civilian has also been killed.
Heavy weapons fire has also strayed towards villages around the frontier, causing an estimated 45,000 people in Thailand and 30,000 in Cambodia to flee their homes.
Both countries have blamed each other for sparking the violence.
Cambodia claims that Thailand used spy planes and poison gas during the conflict -- an allegation denied by Bangkok.
The countries have come under increasing international pressure to stop the violence.
The Thai-Cambodian border has never been fully demarcated, partly because it is littered with landmines left over from years of war in Cambodia.
On Tuesday the fighting briefly spread to the 900-year-old Preah Vihear temple, which has been the focus of strained relations between the neighbours since it was granted UN World Heritage status in 2008.
The World Court ruled in 1962 that the temple belonged to Cambodia, but both countries claim ownership of a 4.6-square-kilometre (1.8-square-mile) surrounding area.
In February, 10 people were killed near Preah Vihear, which is 150 kilometres (90 miles) east of the two ancient temple complexes at the centre of the latest clashes.
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