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France 24
14 minutes ago
- France 24
'We are neighbours': fleeing Thais and Cambodians call for peace
The death toll from three days of fighting has risen to 33, the majority civilians, after a long-running border dispute sharply escalated into combat waged with jets, artillery, tanks and ground troops. "Relations used to be good -– we were like siblings," said 56-year-old Sai Boonrod, one of hundreds of Thais sheltering at a temple in the town of Kanthararom after evacuating her border village home. "But now things may have changed," she told AFP. "I just want the fighting to end so we can go back to being like siblings again." Over the Cambodian border, 150 kilometres (90 miles) from Sai's temporary home, a similar scene plays out: hundreds of evacuees huddled in makeshift tents on a temple site, surrounded by emergency food rations and their hastily packed clothes. "We are neighbours, we want to be friends," one 50-year-old told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity at the temple shelter in Phumi Bak Thkav. "But they are attacking us. We are fleeing homes because of them." Tensions have long flared over the countries' shared 800-kilometre border, peppered with ancient temple sites claimed by both nations. The previous most deadly clashes broke out between 2008 and 2011 -- leaving at least 28 people dead. But stretching her legs on a bamboo mat, Sai said "it was never this violent" in previous times. She is one of more than 170,000 evacuated from the countries' border zones, but her husband stayed behind to help guard neighbours' livestock and belongings. "I want them to negotiate, to stop firing quickly... so the elderly can return home and the children can go back to school," she said. The UN Security Council held an urgent meeting on Friday and both sides have said they are open to a truce -- but accused the other of undermining armistice efforts. 'End the fighting' This flare-up began with a gun battle in late May killing one Cambodian soldier, and festered with tit-for-tat trade restrictions and border closures before hostilities spiked on Thursday. At 73 years old, Suwan Promsri has lived through many episodes of border friction -- but said this one feels "so much different". He said resentment of Cambodians among Thais -- including himself -- is growing, with patriotic online discourse fanning the flames. In February, Bangkok formally protested to Phnom Penh after a video of women singing a patriotic Khmer song in front of a disputed temple was posted on social media. The fighting has also been accompanied by a wave of online misinformation and disinformation from both sides. "Before the internet, I felt indifferent," said Suwan. "But social media really plays a part in fuelling this hatred." Despite the divisions, he is united with his Thai neighbours, and those over the border in Cambodia, in his calls for peace. "I want the government to realise that people along the border are suffering. Life is difficult," he said. © 2025 AFP
France 24
3 hours ago
- France 24
Gaza: Israel says air drops of aid will resume soon over the Strip
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France 24
6 hours ago
- France 24
Death toll rises in Thai-Cambodian clashes despite ceasefire call
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 5:00 am (2200 GMT Friday), with Cambodia accusing Thai forces of firing "five heavy artillery shells" into locations in Pursat province, which borders Thailand's Trat province -- on the coast some 250 kilometres (160 miles) southwest of the main frontlines. AFP journalists in the Cambodian town of Samraong, near the ridge of forest-clad hills that marks the border and 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 Sisaket 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. 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 Minister Maris Sangiampongsa said Saturday that for any ceasefire or talks to proceed, Cambodia needed to show "genuine sincerity in ending the conflict". "I urge Cambodia to stop violating Thai sovereignty and to return to resolving the issue through bilateral dialogue," Maris told reporters. Thai Foreign Ministry spokesman Nikorndej Balankura said Friday, before the UN meeting was held, that Bangkok was open to talks, possibly aided by Malaysia. Malaysia currently holds the chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations regional bloc, of which Thailand and Cambodia are both members. Both sides have blamed the 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. Former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra -- still an influential figure in the kingdom -- visited shelters on Saturday to meet evacuees. "The military needs to complete its operations before any dialogue can take place," Thaksin told reporters. The 76-year-old said he had no plans to contact Hun Sen, Cambodia's powerful ex-prime minister who was long a close ally. "His actions reflect a disturbed mindset. He should reflect on his conduct," Thaksin said of Hun Sen. 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 more than a decade, but the current crisis erupted in May when a Cambodian soldier was killed in a new clash. The leak triggered a political crisis in Thailand as Paetongtarn -- Thaksin's daughter -- was accused of not standing up for Thailand enough, and of criticising her own army. She was suspended from office by a court order. burs-pdw/mtp © 2025 AFP
