BANGKOK, Thailand: Thailand and Cambodia fought their bloodiest military clashes in more than a decade on Thursday, with at least 12 people killed as the two sides battled with tanks, artillery and ground forces over a border dispute.
The fighting marks a dramatic escalation in a long-running spat over an area known as the Emerald Triangle, where the borders of both countries and Laos meet.
The decades-old squabble flared into bloody clashes more than 15 years ago and again in May, when a Cambodian soldier was killed in a firefight.
In Thursday’s clashes, Cambodia fired rockets and artillery shells into Thailand and the Thai military scrambled F-16 jets to carry out air strikes.
The Thai public health ministry said one soldier and at least 11 civilians were killed, most of them in a rocket strike near a petrol station in Sisaket province.
Sisaket’s provincial officials said most of the dead were students inside the shop when the attack happened.
The Thai public health ministry said 35 people have been wounded.
Fighting was focused on six locations, the Thai army said, with ground troops and tanks battling Cambodian forces for control of territory.
Six Thai air force jets were deployed, hitting two “Cambodian military targets on the ground”, according to Thai military deputy spokesperson Ritcha Suksuwanon.
Cambodia has not yet commented on casualties on its side. Defence ministry spokeswoman Maly Socheata refused to answer when asked about the issue at a news conference.
Cambodia requests UN Security Council meeting
Both sides blame the other for starting the fighting, which erupted near two temples on the border.
The Cambodian defence ministry said its forces had responded in self-defence against an “armed assault”.
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet requested an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council to address what his foreign ministry labelled “unprovoked military aggression”.
Cambodia’s Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts has published a statement in which it condemns the “aggression” carried out by Thailand’s military, which it said caused “significant damage” to the surrounding area and structures of the Preah Vihear temple – a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
It said this alleged act is in grave violation of international law and “may constitute war crimes”, adding that the temple is a “sacred cultural site and historical legacy of the Cambodian people”.
The Thai military blamed Cambodian soldiers for firing first, and later accused them of a “targeted attack on civilians”, saying two rockets had hit a community in Surin province, wounding three people.
Thailand’s embassy in Phnom Penh urged its nationals to leave Cambodia “as soon as possible”.
Cambodian PM has posted a statement on his official Facebook page urging citizens to avoid discriminating against or taking any action affecting Thailand’s embassy in Cambodia, as well as Thai companies and citizens living in the country.
The Cambodian prime minister called on all citizens who live, work or study in the neighbouring country to return to Cambodia if they are facing any pressure and discrimination and urged them to get in touch with Cambodian officials in Thailand.
Thailand has sealed off its border crossings with Cambodia.
China said it was “deeply concerned” about the clashes, calling for dialogue, while urging its citizens in Cambodia to avoid the border with Thailand.
The Phnom Penh Post, a Cambodian news outlet, is reporting that approximately 5,000 people from the border areas of Oddar Meanchey province have been evacuated to safe locations following the clashes.
Quoting Meth Meas Pheakdey, spokesperson for the provincial administration, the publication said these residents of 12 villages along the border in Banteay Ampil district were evacuated to designated safe zones arranged by the authorities, while others sought their own refuge.
‘Positive signals’ to end hostilities
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has called on both sides to “stand down” and start talks.
PM Anwar said Thailand and Cambodia have shown a “willingness” to prevent further hostilities after having spoken with the leaders of both countries.
As chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Anwar requested that both leaders declare an “immediate ceasefire to prevent further hostilities and to create space for peaceful dialogue and diplomatic resolution”.
“I welcome the positive signals and willingness shown by both Bangkok and Phnom Penh to consider this path forward”, he wrote on X, while also expressing Malaysia’s willingness to “assist and facilitate this process in the spirit of ASEAN unity and shared responsibility”.
Anouar El Anouni, the European Union’s spokesman for foreign affairs and security policy, said that the bloc is “deeply concerned by rising tensions” between Thailand and Cambodia.
In a post on social media, he called on both sides to “de-escalate and resolve disputes through dialogue and other peaceful means”.
#Cambodia/#Thailand: The EU is deeply concerned by rising tensions at the border with reports of civilian casualties.
We call on both sides to de-escalate and resolve disputes through dialogue and other peaceful means in line with international law, including the UN Charter./.
— Anouar El Anouni 🇪🇺 (@AnouarEUspox) July 24, 2025
