Cambodia PM Hun Manet asks UN Security Council for a meeting
"Considering the recent extremely grave aggressions by Thailand, which have gravely threatened peace and stability in the region, I earnestly request you to convene an urgent meeting of the Security Council to stop Thailand's aggression," Hun Manet wrote in a letter addressed to the sitting UN Security Council president Asim Iftikhar Ahmad.
Cambodia yesterday accused Thailand of "unprovoked military aggression" as the two sides clashed in a border dispute.
The Cambodian foreign ministry said it condemned "in the strongest possible terms this reckless and hostile act by Thailand".
A long-simmering border dispute between Thailand and Cambodia blew up on Thursday as military operations escalated rapidly -- with reports of F-16, missile and artillery strikes across their shared frontier -- resulting in the deaths of at least 10 Thai civilians and one Thai soldier.
Both nations accused the other of starting the clashes, which were reported at six locations and following a build-up of tensions since a Cambodian soldier was killed in an exchange of gunfire in May.
Thailand said its fighter jets hit two Cambodian army bases near the border yesterday, while the Thai army reported that rockets fired from Cambodia killed several civilians, citing provincial authorities.
The fatalities included an 8-year-old child, and 14 others were injured.
The number of casualties on the Cambodian side remains unclear.
Bangkok said in a statement that it is prepared to "intensify" self-defence measures if Cambodia continues its attacks.
Both the US and China sent advisories to their citizens about the clashes, with Beijing saying it was deeply concerned over the attacks.
Cambodia lacks air assets to counter Thailand's advanced jets, Bloomberg Intelligence analysts Eric Zhu and George Ferguson wrote in a note, but the country possesses Chinese-made KS-1C air defence systems.
"The dispute is escalating rapidly and could turn into a serious conflict if left unattended," said Jayant Menon, a senior fellow at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore.
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