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The Star
7 minutes ago
- The Star
New front opens as clashes between Thailand and Cambodia continue
People rest inside a temporary shelter in Srisaket province, after Thailand and Cambodia exchanged heavy artillery fire for a second day on Friday as border fighting intensified and spread. - Reuters BANGKOK: Fighting between Thailand and Cambodia entered its third day on Saturday (July 26), with a new front opening further south in Thailand's Trat province, newspaper Khaosod reported, citing military sources. Both sides again accused each other of initiating fire, as tensions between the South-East Asian neighbours continued to escalate. The Thai Navy is now also involved in the conflict. ALSO READ: Thai Navy joins conflict against Cambodia as death toll climbs to 30 Long-standing tensions between the two countries flared on Thursday, when exchanges of fire broke out along the border. In response, the Thai military said it had deployed fighter jets against Cambodian positions. Cambodia responded with artillery fire, including on residential areas. It remains unclear who fired first. On Friday evening, Thailand imposed martial law in eight districts in the provinces of Trat and Chanthaburi, citing "ongoing threats to national security" posed by Cambodia. The Foreign Ministry in Bangkok said martial law would allow the military to carry out all necessary operations to maintain peace and order. In Cambodia, 13 people have been killed so far, including eight civilians, the Phnom Penh Post reported, citing Phnom Penh's Defence Ministry. More than 70 people have been injured, 50 of them civilians, according to the newspaper. In Thailand, government figures put the death toll at 14, including 13 civilians, with more than 60 people injured, some seriously. The Thai government said around 130,000 people are currently fleeing the conflict zones. Amid the escalating violence, thousands of Cambodian migrant workers in Thailand are reportedly preparing to return home. According to Thai broadcaster PBS, large crowds - possibly tens of thousands - have applied to cross the border at Ban Laem in Chanthaburi. Social media posts described the movement as a "mass exodus," with many saying they no longer felt safe staying in Thailand. According to the Cambodian government, more than 1.2 million Cambodians were living and working in Thailand in 2024. Images circulating online showed groups of people arriving at the border with their belongings. Cambodia on Friday called for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire. "Cambodia asked for an immediate ceasefire - unconditionally - and we also call for the peaceful solution of the dispute," Cambodia's ambassador to the UN, Chhea Keo, said following a meeting of the UN Security Council in New York. Keo dismissed Bangkok's accusations that Cambodia had attacked, pointing out that Cambodia's army is only a third the size of Thailand's. He also said that Cambodia lacks a fully equipped air force. Thai ambassador to the UN, Cherdchai Chaivaivid, meanwhile, called on Cambodia to immediately cease hostilities in order to open a path to dialogue. He described the escalation as an "illegal and arbitrary act of aggression" but added that the two countries are close neighbours and the violence must end. Thailand and Cambodia have disputed sections of their more than 800-kilometre border for decades. The conflict centres on the temple of Prasat Preah Vihear, a Unesco World Heritage site that both countries claim. - dpa
The Star
2 hours ago
- The Star
Death toll rises in Thai-Cambodian clashes despite ceasefire call
More than 138,000 people have been evacuated from Thailand's border regions. - Photo: Reuters SAMRAONG, (Cambodia): Thailand and Cambodia clashed for a third day on Saturday (July 26), as the death toll from their bloodiest fighting in years rose to 33 and Phnom Penh called for an "immediate ceasefire". A long-running border dispute erupted into intense conflict involving jets, artillery, tanks and ground troops on Thursday, prompting the UN Security Council to hold an emergency meeting on the crisis Friday. Cambodia's defence ministry said 13 people were now confirmed killed in the fighting, including eight civilians and five soldiers, with 71 people wounded. In Thailand, the army said five soldiers were killed on Friday, taking the toll there to 20 -- 14 civilians and six military. The death toll across the two countries is now higher than the 28 killed in the last major round of fighting between 2008 and 2011. Both sides reported a clash around 5am (2200 Friday GMT), with Cambodia accusing Thai forces of firing "five heavy artillery shells" into locations in Pursat province, which borders Thailand's Trat province. The fighting has forced more than 138,000 people to be evacuated from Thailand's border regions, with more than 35,000 driven from their homes in Cambodia. After the closed meeting of the Security Council in New York, 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. - Border row - Thai Foreign Ministry spokesman Nikorndej Balankura said Friday, before the UN meeting was held, 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. Malaysia currently holds the chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations regional bloc, of which Thailand and Cambodia are both members. Acting Thai Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai has warned that if the situation escalates, "it could develop into war." 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. Cambodia has accused Thai forces of using cluster munitions. At the UN, Cambodia's envoy questioned Thailand's assertion that his country, which is smaller and less militarily developed than its neighbour, 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. 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 (500-mile) border. 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. - AFP
The Star
2 hours ago
- The Star
Thai-Cambodian fighting extends into third day despite ceasefire calls
People rest inside a temporary shelter in Srisaket province, after Thailand and Cambodia exchanged heavy artillery fire for a second day on Friday as border fighting intensified and spread, while Cambodia's leader said Thailand had agreed to a Malaysian ceasefire proposal but then backed down, Thailand, July 26, 2025. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha SISAKET, Thailand (Reuters) -Fighting on the Thai-Cambodian border extended into a third day and new flashpoints emerged on Saturday as both sides sought diplomatic support, saying they had acted in self-defence and calling on the other to cease fighting and start negotiations. At least 30 people have been killed and more than 130,000 people displaced in the worst fighting between the Southeast Asian neighbours in 13 years. The Thai navy said there were clashes in the coastal province of Trat early on Saturday, a new front more than 100 km (60 miles) from other conflict points along the long-contested border. The two countries have faced off since the killing of a Cambodian soldier late in May during a brief skirmish. Troops on both sides of the border were reinforced amid a full-blown diplomatic crisis that brought Thailand's fragile coalition government to the brink of collapse. Thailand's death toll remained at 19 on Saturday, while Cambodian Defence Ministry spokesperson Maly Socheata said five soldiers and eight civilians had been killed in the the Kanthralak district of Thailand's Sisaket province, on the border near some of the clashes, hotel worker Chianuwat Thalalai said the town had emptied out. "Nearly everybody's gone, it's almost a deserted city," the 31-year-old told Reuters. "My hotel is still open for some of those nearer to the border area that needs a place to stay." Thailand's ambassador to the United Nations told a Security Council meeting on Friday that soldiers had been injured by newly planted land mines in Thai territory on two occasions since mid-July - claims Cambodia has strongly denied - and said Cambodia had then launched attacks on Thursday morning. "Thailand urges Cambodia to immediately cease all hostilities and acts of aggression, and resume dialogue in good faith," Cherdchai Chaivaivid told the council in remarks released to media. DECADES OF DISPUTES Cambodia's defence ministry said Thailand had launched "a deliberate, unprovoked, and unlawful military attack" on Thursday, and was now mobilising troops and military equipment on the border. "These deliberate military preparations reveal Thailand's intent to expand its aggression and further violate Cambodia's sovereignty," the ministry said in a statement on Saturday. Cambodia called for the international community to "condemn Thailand's aggression in the strongest terms" and to prevent an expansion of Thailand's military activities. Bangkok reiterated it wanted to resolve the dispute bilaterally, telling the Security Council it was "deeply regrettable that Cambodia has deliberately avoided meaningful dialogue and instead sought to internationalise the issue to serve its own political objectives". Thailand and Cambodia have bickered for decades over jurisdiction of various undemarcated points along their 817-km(508-mile) land border, with ownership of the ancient Hindu temples Ta Moan Thom and the 11th century Preah Vihear central to the disputes. Preah Vihear was awarded to Cambodia by the International Court of Justice in 1962, but tension escalated in 2008 after Cambodia attempted to list it as a UNESCO World Heritage site. That led to skirmishes over several years and at least a dozen deaths. Cambodia in June said it had asked the court to resolve its disputes with Thailand, which says it has never recognised the court's jurisdiction and prefers a bilateral approach. (Reporting by Shoon Naing, Artorn Pookasook, Panarat Thepgumpanat, Panu Wongcha-um, Chayut Setboonsarng, Juarawee Kittisilpa and Devjyot Ghoshal; Writing by John Mair; Editing by William Mallard)
