Surin, July 25: Border fighting between Thailand and Cambodia has escalated into a broader conflict, with thousands of people seeking refuge on Friday. The UN Security Council is scheduled to hold an emergency meeting on the crisis later Friday in New York, while Malaysia, which chairs a regional bloc that includes both countries, called for an end to hostilities and offered to mediate. The Health Ministry reported that more than 58,000 people have fled from villages to temporary shelters in four affected Thai border provinces, while Cambodian authorities said more than 4,000 people have evacuated from areas near the border.
Tensions over a disputed border area erupted into fighting after a land mine explosion along the border, wounding five Thai soldiers on Wednesday. The Thai military reported clashes early Friday in multiple areas, including along the border at Chong Bok and Phu Makhuea in Thailand’s Ubon Ratchathani province, at Phanom Dong Rak in Surin province, and near the ancient Ta Muen Thom temple. The Thai army said Cambodian forces had used heavy artillery and Russian-made BM-21 rocket launchers, prompting what Thai officials described as “appropriate supporting fire” in return.
Thailand said one soldier and 13 civilians were killed, including children, while 15 soldiers and 30 civilians were wounded. Cambodia’s chief official in Oddar Meanchey province, Gen. Khov Ly, said a man died instantly Thursday after a Thai rocket hit a Buddhist pagoda where he was hiding. At least four civilians were also wounded in Thursday’s fighting there. Thailand’s army on Friday denied it targeted civilian sites in Cambodia and accused Cambodia of using “human shields” by positioning its weapons near residential areas.
Thousands flee villages near the border. As the fighting intensified, villagers on both sides have been caught in the crossfire, leading many to flee. Around 600 people took shelter at a gymnasium in a university in Surin, Thailand, about 80 kilometers from the border.
The conflict marks a rare instance of armed confrontation between member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, though Thailand has tangled with Cambodia before over the border and has had sporadic skirmishes with its western neighbor, Myanmar. Malaysia, the current ASEAN chair, expressed concern. Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim urged both Cambodian leader Hun Manet and Thai Acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai to open space for “peaceful dialogue and diplomatic resolution.” UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has also called for restraint and urged both countries to resolve disputes through dialogue.
Border tensions between the two nations are not new, as their 800-kilometer frontier has been disputed for decades. The last major flare-up in 2011 left 20 dead. The current tensions broke out in May when a Cambodian soldier was killed in a confrontation. Both countries agreed to de-escalate the situation, but both continued to implement or threaten measures, including trade and travel restrictions, keeping tensions high. (AP)
