Over 130,000 people displaced as deadly Thailand-Cambodia clashes enter 2nd day
The fighting between the Southeast Asian neighbors is the latest in a history of disputes that dates back more than a century, to when Cambodia's former colonial ruler France first mapped the 800-km shared land border.
Both countries have blamed each other for starting a clash on Thursday near Prasat Ta Muen Thom, an ancient temple claimed by both nations. It quickly escalated from small arms fire to heavy shelling, with hostilities spreading to various locations along the border, marking a shift from usually brief confrontations that only rarely involved the use of weapons.
At least 14 people were killed, 46 others injured and more than 138,000 displaced in Thailand, the Thai military said. In Cambodia, around 2,400 families have been evacuated after the fighting killed one person and injured five others in Oddar Meanchey province, Meth Meas Pheakday, spokeswoman for the provincial administration, said on Friday.
Acting Thai PM 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 emphasize 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.'
Thailand has also responded to the alleged attacks by sending F-16 jets to strike targets in Cambodia.
On Friday, Thailand had fired at seven sites in Cambodia, according to Maly Socheata, a spokeswoman for the Cambodian Ministry of National Defense.
The clashes this week followed months of tension along the border, which began when troops exchanged fire in contested territory in May, killing a Cambodian soldier.
Ties deteriorated further after Cambodia's powerful former leader Hun Sen leaked a private phone call with Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra about the border tensions, sparking public anger that led to her suspension from duties earlier this month.
The crisis further escalated on Wednesday, when five Thai soldiers were injured by a land mine explosion near Prasat Ta Muen Thom, prompting both sides to recall their ambassadors.
'This tense situation cannot be ended swiftly with armed clashes; it needs diplomatic mechanisms and international law,' Vann Bunna, a Cambodian geopolitical expert, told Arab News.
'Since as of now there's no signal of negotiations, it's prompting the worst situation, leading to devastation of both human life and infrastructure. This not only provokes insecurity in both countries but also affects the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) security region geopolitically.'
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.
The root of this week's border violence can be traced back to the 'discord between Thaksin and Hun Sen,' according to Pavin Chachavalpongpun, an associate professor at the Center for Southeast Asian Studies at Japan's Kyoto University
Thaksin Shinawatra, Paetongtarn's father and the former prime minister of Thailand, had a decades-long personal relationship with the Cambodian strongman.
'The border has come many times in the past, but Hun Sen's decision to leak a personal conversation with Paetongtarn, which led to her suspension from serving as prime minister, was a clear betrayal of personal relationships,' Chachavalpongpun said in a statement.
'When the personal relationship between the leaders of both countries is broken, it (becomes) harder … to find a way out.'
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