Thailand says over 100,000 civilians flee clashes with Cambodia
A long-running border dispute erupted into intense fighting with jets, artillery, tanks and ground troops on Thursday, and the UN Security Council is set to hold an emergency meeting on the crisis later Friday.
The Thai interior ministry said more than 100,000 people from four border provinces had been moved to nearly 300 temporary shelters, while the kingdom's health ministry announced that the death toll had risen to 14 -- 13 civilians and one soldier.
In the Cambodian town of Samraong, 20 kilometres from the border, AFP journalists reported hearing distant artillery fire on Friday morning.
As the guns started up, some families packed their children and belongings into vehicles and sped away.
"I live very close to the border. We are scared because they began shooting again at about 6am," Pro Bak, 41, told AFP.
He was taking his wife and children to a Buddhist temple to seek refuge.
"I don't know when we could return home," he said.
AFP journalists also saw soldiers rushing to man rocket launchers and speeding off towards the frontier.
At least one Cambodian civilian was killed and five others injured during border clashes with Thailand, a Cambodian provincial official said on Friday.
Around 1,500 Cambodian families from Banteay Ampil district in the Oddar Meanchey province near the conflict zone have been evacuated to safety, Meth Meas Pheakdey, a spokesperson for the provincial administration, said on Facebook.
- Calls for calm -
The fighting marks a dramatic escalation in a long-running dispute between the neighbours -- both popular destinations for millions of foreign tourists -- over their shared 800-kilometre frontier.
Dozens of kilometres in several areas are contested and fighting broke out between 2008 and 2011, leaving at least 28 people dead and tens of thousands displaced.
A UN court ruling in 2013 settled the matter for over a decade, but the current crisis erupted in May when a Cambodian soldier was killed in a new clash.
Fighting on Thursday was focused on six locations, according to the Thai army, including around two ancient temples.
Ground troops backed up by tanks battled for control of territory, while Cambodia fired rockets and shells into Thailand and the Thais scrambled F-16 jets to hit military targets across the border.
Both sides blamed each other for firing first, while Thailand accused Cambodia of targeting civilian infrastructure, including a hospital hit by shells and a petrol station hit by at least one rocket.
Thursday's clashes came hours after Thailand expelled the Cambodian ambassador and recalled its own envoy after five members of a Thai military patrol were wounded by a landmine.
Cambodia downgraded ties to "the lowest level" on Thursday, pulling out all but one of its diplomats and expelling their Thai equivalents from Phnom Penh.
At the request of Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet, the UN Security Council will hold an emergency meeting on Friday to discuss the deadly clashes, diplomatic sources told AFP.
The United States urged an "immediate" end to the conflict, while Cambodia's former colonial ruler France made a similar call.
The EU and China -- a close ally of Phnom Penh -- said they were "deeply concerned" about the clashes, calling for dialogue.
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Bangkok Post
6 hours ago
- Bangkok Post
Conflict spreads to six Thai provinces
Thailand and Cambodia pounded each other with heavy artillery fire for a third day on Saturday, as a border conflict that has killed at least 33 people and displaced more than 150,000 from their homes spread across the contested frontier. Clashes broke out for the first time in the coastal region of Trat where the countries' borders meet on the Gulf of Thailand, around 250 kilometres southwest of the main frontlines that echoed with blasts on Saturday afternoon. AFP journalists in the Cambodian town of Samraong, near the border that has seen the bulk of the fighting, heard the thump of artillery early Saturday afternoon. A Thai villager reached by phone as he sheltered in a bunker in Si Sa Ket province, just 10 kilometres from the frontier, also reported hearing artillery. 'I just want this to end as soon as possible,' Sutian Phiewchan told AFP. Cambodia has accused Thai forces of expanding the offensive deep into its territory against non-military targets including schools, pagodas and residential areas. Thai forces fired heavy artillery shells into several Cambodian areas outside the conflict zone, Khmer Times reported, citing its defence ministry spokesperson Maly Socheata. Thailand has denied targeting non-military sites. (Story continues below) New air strike The Royal Thai Air Force said it sent two F-16s and two Gripen fighter jets to attack Cambodian military targets in the Phu Makua area of Si Sa Ket on Saturday afternoon to intercept Cambodian ballistic weapons. The site had been retaken by Thai troops earlier in the day. Another target was the area of Prasat Ta Muean Thom in Surin, where Cambodian soldiers had set up artillery and personnel to fire into Thailand. The operation successfully destroyed targets at both locations and the aircraft returned to base safely, the air force said. On Saturday, the Thai army also reported clashes in Sa Kaeo, bringing the number of border provinces involved to six out of seven. Both sides say they are open to a truce in the combat now being fought with jets, tanks and ground troops, but have accused the other of undermining efforts to bring about a ceasefire. The Thai army asked people in its border areas to remain vigilant amid concerns that Cambodia may launch Chinese-made missiles capable of reaching targets in a 130km range, according to a post on Facebook. Siwat Rattana-Ananta, the Thai army attache in Beijing, met with Chinese officials on Friday and was assured that the country hasn't supplied Cambodia any fresh weapons since the start of the clash. All the weapons used by Phnom Penh are from prior deals, he said. Cambodia has relied on China in recent years for modernising its defence sector which includes financial and infrastructure support for the renovation of the Ream Naval Base, as well as extensive military cooperation through joint drills and equipment. In contrast, Thailand — a long-time US treaty ally — boasts squadrons of F-16 and Swedish-made Gripen combat jets and modern tanks. (Story continues below) Tensions over temples Tensions initially flared over long-contested ancient temple sites before fighting spread along the rural border region, marked by a ridge of hills surrounded by jungle and agricultural land where local residents farm mostly rubber and rice. Cambodia's defence ministry said on Saturday that 13 people had been confirmed killed in the fighting since Thursday, including eight civilians and five soldiers, with 71 people wounded. Thai authorities said 13 civilians and seven soldiers had been killed on their side, with 33 injured. The death toll across both nations is now higher than it was in the last major round of fighting between 2008 and 2011. The conflict has also forced more than 138,000 people to be evacuated from Thailand's border regions, and more than 35,000 driven from their homes in Cambodia. After an urgent UN Security Council meeting in New York on Friday, Cambodia's UN ambassador Chhea Keo said his country wanted a ceasefire. 'Cambodia asked for an immediate ceasefire — unconditionally — and we also call for the peaceful solution of the dispute,' he told reporters. Thai Foreign Minister Maris Sangiampongsa said Saturday that for any ceasefire or talks to proceed, Cambodia needed to show 'genuine sincerity in ending the conflict'. Both sides have blamed the other for firing first. (Story continues below) Trading accusations Additionally, Cambodia has accused Thai forces of using cluster munitions, while Thailand accused Cambodia of targeting civilian infrastructure, including a hospital hit by shells and a petrol station and 7-Eleven in Si Sa Ket struck by at least one rocket, killing eight civilians. Former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra visited shelters in Ubon Ratchathani on Saturday to meet evacuees. 'The military needs to complete its operations before any dialogue can take place,' Thaksin told reporters.
Bangkok Post
6 hours ago
- Bangkok Post
Si Sa Ket man mourns wife and children killed in shelling
SI SA KET - When the Thai and Cambodian armies began shelling at their contested border on Thursday, Komsan Prachan thought his family was far enough away from the fighting to be safe. The farm worker received a phone call from his children's school asking parents to collect their kids, so he and his wife went and picked up their 14-year-old daughter, 9-year-old son and their son's friend. On the way home, they stopped at a PTT petrol station about three kilometres from their house. Moments later, an artillery shell slammed into the station, destroying the attached 7-Eleven convenience store where Komsan's family and the friend had gone to buy snacks. 'All I was thinking then was, my wife and kids,' the 40-year-old told Reuters at a relative's home in Si Sa Ket province. 'I lost all hope. I could only stand and watch.' More than 30 people, mostly civilians, have been killed on both sides of the border since the fighting started on Thursday, in what has become the worst escalation between the two nations in more than a decade. Both sides have accused each other of starting the conflict. Komsan could hear explosions from early on Thursday morning, but he did not think he needed to evacuate because his house was not in a danger zone. 'I didn't think it would hit this area. There was no bunker around that area as it was considered a safe zone.' Komsan and his wife met in high school. They married after working together for several years in Bangkok, and raised their two children. 'Having them in my life was the greatest blessing,' he said. More than 130,000 people have been displaced by the fighting, with schools forced to close their doors. Local university campuses are being used as temporary shelters for those forced to flee their homes. 'The war is good for no one. They should both talk to each other peacefully. The war only brings loss, loss and loss,' said Komsan. The bereaved husband and father accused the Cambodian government of indiscriminately firing into civilian areas. 'This is not just war, this is murder.'
Bangkok Post
7 hours ago
- Bangkok Post
King opts for quiet birthday events
His Majesty the King and Her Majesty the Queen have ordered the cancellation of the King's royal birthday ceremonies planned for the Amarin Winitchai Throne Hall inside the Grand Palace on July 28 and 29. The Public Relations Department said that while official ceremonies have been called off, the signing of well-wishing books at the Sahathai Samakhom Pavilion also within the Grand Palace will continue as usual, as will the option to sign messages online. The Prasad Phra Thepbidon Royal Pantheon remains open to the public to pay traditional respects. The decision was made by Their Majesties who acknowledged the current threats facing the nation, including the armed conflict along the Thai-Cambodian border. With everyone focused on safeguarding national sovereignty and ensuring public safety, Their Majesties have also bestowed relief items to military personnel and arranged royal food aid for evacuees in shelters near the border.
