BANGKOK: Fighting between Thailand and Cambodia continued for a second consecutive day on Friday, marking the worst escalation in years along their disputed border. The clashes have left at least 15 people dead and displaced more than 130,000.
The conflict is rooted in a long-standing territorial dispute dating back over a century, to when France — Cambodia’s former colonial ruler — first mapped the 800-kilometre shared border.
Both nations have accused each other of initiating the hostilities, which began Thursday near Prasat Ta Muen Thom, an ancient temple claimed by both sides. What started as an exchange of small arms fire quickly escalated into heavy shelling, with fighting spreading to multiple locations along the border — a significant departure from the usually brief and contained skirmishes.
According to the Thai military, at least 14 people have been killed, 46 injured, and over 138,000 displaced within Thailand. In Cambodia, one person was killed and five others injured in Oddar Meanchey province, where approximately 2,400 families have been evacuated, said Meth Meas Pheakday, spokesperson for the provincial administration.
Acting Thai Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai said Thailand has “exercised utmost restraint” against provocations and chose “peaceful means” in its responses.
“Our beloved Thailand is currently facing a severe threat from Cambodia … It is profoundly disappointing that the Cambodian side chose to initiate military force. Their actions blatantly violate international law and humanitarian principles through indiscriminate attacks on hospitals and civilian residential areas, extending more than 20 kilometers beyond the border … We consider these acts to be severe war crimes,” he said in a statement on Friday.
“I must emphasise that this incident is not a conflict between the peoples of our two nations, nor is it a declaration of war. It is a border clash undertaken to protect our sovereignty and respond to aggression.”
On Friday, Thai forces targeted seven locations inside Cambodia, according to Maly Socheata, spokesperson for Cambodia’s Ministry of National Defence.
This week’s clashes come after months of rising tensions along the border. The latest escalation follows a deadly exchange of fire in May, when a Cambodian soldier was killed in contested territory.
The last time that Cambodia and Thailand fired on each other’s territories was during a three-year border conflict that ended in 2011 and killed 20 people on both sides of the border.
