Cambodia calls for ceasefire with Thailand after deadly clashes
A long-running border dispute erupted into intense fighting with jets, artillery, tanks and ground troops on Thursday, prompting the UN Security Council to hold an emergency meeting on the crisis Friday.
'Cambodia asked for an immediate ceasefire — unconditionally — and we also call for the peaceful solution of the dispute,' said Phnom Penh's UN ambassador Chhea Keo following a closed meeting of the Council attended by Cambodia and Thailand.
A steady thump of artillery strikes could be heard from the Cambodian side of the border Friday, where the province of Oddar Meanchey reported one civilian — a 70-year-old man — had been killed and five more wounded.
More than 138,000 people have been evacuated from Thailand's border regions, its health ministry said, reporting 15 fatalities — 14 civilians and a soldier — with a further 46 wounded, including 15 troops.
Fighting resumed in three areas around 4 am on Friday (2100 GMT Thursday), the Thai army said, with Cambodian forces firing heavy weapons, field artillery, and BM-21 rocket systems, and Thai troops responding 'with appropriate supporting fire.'
Thai Foreign Ministry Spokesman Nikorndej Balankura told AFP that fighting had begun to ease off by Friday afternoon, however, adding that Bangkok was open to talks, possibly aided by Malaysia.
'We are ready, if Cambodia would like to settle this matter via diplomatic channels, bilaterally, or even through Malaysia, we are ready to do that. But so far we have not had any response,' Nikorndej told AFP, speaking before the UN meeting had been held.
Malaysia currently holds the chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) regional bloc, of which Thailand and Cambodia are both members.
Earlier, acting Thai Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai had warned that if the situation escalated, 'it could develop into war.'
'For now, it remains limited to clashes,' he told reporters in Bangkok.
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.
At the UN, Cambodia's envoy questioned Thailand's assertion that his country, which is smaller and less militarily developed than its neighbor, had initiated the conflict.
'(The Security Council) called for both parties to (show) maximum restraint and resort to a diplomatic solution. That is what we are calling for as well,' said Chhea Keo.
None of the other attendees of the UNSC meeting spoke to reporters.
The fighting marks a dramatic escalation in a long-running dispute between the neighbors — both popular destinations for millions of foreign tourists — over their shared 800-kilometer (500-mile) border.
Dozens of kilometers 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.
In the Cambodian town of Samraong, 20 kilometers (12 miles) from the border, AFP journalists saw families speeding away in vehicles with their children and belongings as gunfire erupted.
'I live very close to the border. We are scared,' Pro Bak, 41, told AFP.
He was taking his wife and children to a Buddhist temple to seek refuge.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Al Arabiya
4 minutes ago
- Al Arabiya
Cambodia and Thailand agree to ASEAN observers to ensure ceasefire holds
Cambodia and Thailand's top defense officials agreed on Thursday to allow observers from the ASEAN regional bloc to inspect disputed border areas and help ensure hostilities do not resume following a violent five-day conflict that ended in a ceasefire late in July. The Southeast Asian neighbors saw the worst fighting in over a decade last month, including exchanges of artillery fire and jet fighter bombing runs that claimed at least 43 lives and displaced more than 300,000 people on both sides of the border. Fighting continued despite diplomatic interventions from China and Malaysia, chair of the regional bloc ASEAN, both calling for restraint. The leaders of Cambodia and Thailand only came to the negotiating table when US President Donald Trump told them that tariff negotiations would not continue unless there was peace, Reuters exclusively reported. Cambodian Defense Minister Tea Seiha and Thailand's acting defense minister Nattaphon Narkphanit met at Malaysia's Armed Forces headquarters in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday to thrash out the terms of a permanent cessation of hostilities. 'There will be an observation team of ASEAN military attaches based in Thailand and Cambodia, led by Malaysia,' Nattaphon told reporters at a press conference after the meeting, adding that foreign inspectors based in either country would not cross the border. 'Thailand and Cambodia are neighbors with a shared border that can move away from each other ... a resolution will allow our people to return to peaceful lives,' he said. Thailand and Cambodia said in a joint statement that they would hold more talks in two weeks and then again in a month. The peace conditions were formulated during three days of talks between senior officials in Kuala Lumpur and were finalized on the fourth day in the presence of observers from China and the United States. 'Both sides agreed on the terms of implementation of the ceasefire and improving communication between the two armies,' Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet said on social media. Thailand and Cambodia have quarreled for decades over undemarcated parts of their 817 km (508 miles) land border, which was first mapped by France in 1907 when the latter was its colony.
Arab News
an hour ago
- Arab News
China's exports top forecasts as shippers rush to meet tariff deadline
BEIJING: China's exports beat forecasts in July, as manufacturers made the most of a fragile tariff truce between Beijing and Washington to ship goods, especially to Southeast Asia, ahead of tougher US duties targeting transhipment. Global traders and investors are waiting to see whether the world's two largest economies can agree on a durable trade deal by Aug. 12 or if global supply chains will again be upended by the return of import levies exceeding 100 percent. US President Donald Trump is pursuing further tariffs, including a 40 percent duty on goods rerouted to the US via transit hubs that took effect on Thursday, as well as a 100 percent levy on chips and pharmaceutical products, and an additional 25 percent tax on goods from countries that buy Russian oil. China's exports rose 7.2 percent year-on-year in July, customs data showed on Thursday, beating a forecast 5.4 percent increase in a Reuters poll and accelerating from June's 5.8 percent growth. Imports grew 4.1 percent, defying economists' expectations for a 1.0 percent fall and climbing from a 1.1 percent rise in June. China's trade war truce with the US — the world's top consumer market — ends next week, although Trump hinted further tariffs may come Beijing's way due to its continuing purchases of Russian hydrocarbons. 'The trade data suggests that the Southeast Asian markets play an ever more important role in US-China trade,' said Xu Tianchen, senior economist at The Economist Intelligence Unit. 'I have no doubt Trump's transhipment tariffs are aimed at China, since it was already an issue during Trump 1.0. China is the only country for which transhipment makes sense, because it still enjoys a production cost advantage and is still subject to materially higher US tariffs than other countries,' he added. China's exports to the US fell 21.67 percent last month from a year earlier, the data showed, while shipments to ASEAN rose 16.59 percent over the same period. The levies are bad news for many US trading partners, including the emerging markets in China's periphery that have been buying raw materials and components from the regional giant and furnishing them into finished products as they seek to move up the value chain. China's July trade surplus narrowed to $98.24 billion from $114.77 billion in June. Separate US data on Tuesday showed the trade deficit with China shrank to its lowest in more than 21 years in June. Despite the tariffs, markets showed optimism for a breakthrough between the two superpowers, with China and Hong Kong stocks rising in morning trade. Trump indicated earlier this week that he might meet Chinese President Xi Jinping later this year if a trade deal was reached. TRADE UNCERTAINTY China's commodities imports painted a mixed picture, with soybean purchases hitting record highs in July, driven by bulk buying from Brazil while avoiding US cargoes. Analysts, however, cautioned that inventory building may have skewed the import figures, masking weaker underlying domestic demand. 'While import growth surprised on the upside in July, this may reflect inventory building for certain commodities,' said Zichun Huang, China economist at Capital Economics, pointing to similarly strong purchases of crude oil and copper. 'There was less improvement in imports of other products and shipments of iron ore continued to cool, likely reflecting the ongoing loss of momentum in the construction sector,' she added. A protracted slowdown in China's property sector continues to weigh on construction and broader domestic demand, as real estate remains a key store of household wealth. Chinese government advisers are stepping up calls to make the household sector's contribution to broader economic growth a top priority at Beijing's upcoming five-year policy plan, as trade tensions and deflation threaten the outlook. Reaching an agreement with the US — and with the European Union, which has accused China of producing and selling goods too cheaply — would give Chinese officials more room to advance their reform agenda. However, analysts expect little relief from Western trade pressures. Export growth is projected to slow sharply in the second half of the year, hurt by persistently high tariffs, President Trump's renewed crackdown on the rerouting of Chinese shipments and deteriorating relations with the EU.
Al Arabiya
2 hours ago
- Al Arabiya
Zelenskyy to speak to Germany, France, Italy to discuss progress toward peace
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he planned contacts with Germany, France, and Italy on Thursday to discuss progress toward peace. Zelenskyy said he planned to discuss a ceasefire, a leaders' summit, and long-term security, following a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US special envoy Steve Witkoff on Wednesday.
