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Canada News.Net
3 days ago
- Politics
- Canada News.Net
Thailand, Cambodia trade blame in worst border fighting in years
SURIN, Thailand: Tensions between Thailand and Cambodia escalated sharply this week as armed clashes along their shared border left at least 14 people dead—most of them civilians—and forced the evacuation of thousands. The violence marks one of the most serious confrontations in years between the two Southeast Asian nations, both members of ASEAN. On July 24, fighting broke out in at least six locations along the border following a land mine explosion the previous day that injured five Thai soldiers. In response, Thailand expelled Cambodia's ambassador and withdrew its own from Phnom Penh. Thai forces, according to Defense Ministry spokesperson Surasant Kongsiri, responded with small arms fire, artillery, rockets, and airstrikes. The following morning, July 25, Cambodian authorities reported renewed clashes near the ancient Ta Muen Thom temple in Oddar Meanchey province. General Khov Ly, the province's top official, said four civilians were wounded in the fighting and more than 4,000 people had been displaced to evacuation centers. Many fled their homes with families and belongings piled onto makeshift tractors, seeking safety deeper within Cambodia. In Thailand, Acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai said the violence had spread across four provinces. The Interior Ministry ordered evacuations of civilians living within 30 miles of the border. Thailand's Public Health Ministry confirmed 14 fatalities, including a Thai soldier and 13 civilians, among them children. An additional 14 soldiers and 32 civilians were injured. Public Health Minister Somsak Thepsuthin condemned the attacks on civilians and a hospital, calling them violations of international humanitarian law and the Geneva Conventions. Despite repeated calls for restraint, both nations have traded blame. In Bangkok, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nikorndej Balankura warned that Thailand was "prepared to intensify our self-defense measures" if Cambodia continued what he termed "armed aggression" and encroachments on Thai sovereignty. In Phnom Penh, Cambodian Defense Ministry spokesperson Lt. Gen. Maly Socheata said the country had no choice but to defend itself against "Thai threats," asserting that Cambodian strikes targeted only military positions. Prime Minister Hun Manet appealed to the United Nations Security Council for an emergency session, accusing Thailand of initiating aggression. The conflict has triggered a diplomatic and humanitarian crisis. Thailand has closed all land border crossings with Cambodia and urged its citizens to leave the country. Seven Thai airlines have reportedly agreed to assist with repatriation flights for those wishing to return. This outbreak of violence is the most intense since a similar border dispute in 2011 that resulted in 20 deaths. Though Thailand and Cambodia have a history of friction along their 800-kilometer (500-mile) frontier—especially near disputed temple sites—most past confrontations were brief and rarely involved heavy weapons or airstrikes. However, bilateral relations have frayed significantly in recent months. A deadly incident in May that left a Cambodian soldier dead appears to have deepened the mistrust, setting the stage for the July 24 clashes. From an evacuation site near Samrong town in northern Cambodia, 45-year-old Tep Savouen, a mother of four, recounted the terror of waking to gunfire around 8 a.m. "We ran with what we could carry," she said. "The children were crying. We just wanted to survive." United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, through spokesperson Farhan Haq, urged both sides to show "maximum restraint" and resolve disputes through dialogue. But with both governments hardening their rhetoric and military deployments ongoing, the path back to peace remains uncertain.
Saudi Gazette
5 days ago
- Politics
- Saudi Gazette
Thai-Cambodian border conflict escalates with fresh airstrikes, raising death toll
UBON RATCHATHANI, Thailand — The border conflict between Thailand and Cambodia entered its third day on Saturday with renewed airstrikes and rising casualties, despite mounting international pressure for a ceasefire. Thai fighter jets struck military targets in the Phu Ma Kua area and near the Ta Muen Thom temple, according to Thai news outlet The Nation. Cambodia confirmed the airstrikes and said it responded with retaliatory attacks, according to the Khmer Times. In response to the escalating violence, Cambodia closed its airspace over conflict zones, while the Thai Navy deployed four vessels in support of its ground forces. Thai forces also claimed to have taken control of a strategic hilltop roughly 2.8 kilometers (1.7 miles) from the contested Preah Vihear Temple, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that sits at the heart of the border dispute. The fighting has continued in defiance of calls for de-escalation. Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim reiterated on Saturday his efforts to mediate a ceasefire. Anwar had said Friday that both sides agreed in principle to halt hostilities during separate calls with his Thai and Cambodian counterparts on Thursday night. Despite that agreement, clashes have intensified. The UN Security Council held an emergency closed-door meeting in New York on Friday, attended by representatives from both countries. 'We asked for an immediate ceasefire—unconditionally—and we also call for a peaceful solution to the dispute,' Cambodia's UN Ambassador Chhea Keo said. Thailand submitted a letter to the Security Council accusing Cambodia of provoking the conflict and urging the international community to support 'the immediate cessation of hostilities and the resumption of dialogue in good faith,' according to Thai PBS. Cambodia, meanwhile, called on the UN's tourism agency to condemn Thai airstrikes that reportedly caused severe damage to the ancient Preah Vihear Temple. China denied allegations that it had supplied military equipment to Cambodia. Authorities on both sides have evacuated thousands of civilians from border regions. Thai officials reported 20 fatalities, including six soldiers, while Cambodia said 13 people, including five soldiers, were killed since hostilities reignited on Thursday. The flare-up follows renewed tensions that began May 28, when a Cambodian soldier was killed near the disputed boundary between Cambodia's Preah Vihear province and Thailand's northeastern Ubon Ratchathani province. — Agencies
The Star
5 days ago
- Politics
- The Star
Indonesia backs peaceful resolution in Thai-Cambodian border dispute
JAKARTA: Indonesia is closely monitoring the escalating border tensions between Cambodia and Thailand, expressing confidence that both Asean member states would resolve the dispute peacefully in accordance with international law. 'We are confident that the two neighbouring countries will immediately return to peaceful means to settle their differences in line with the principles enshrined in the Asean Charter and the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation,' the Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Friday (July 25). The ministry also confirmed that it is monitoring the safety and well-being of Indonesian nationals residing in the affected areas. Cambodia on Friday called for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire following an escalation in violence along its border with Thailand. "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. The renewed clashes between Thai and Cambodian troops in their second day forced hundreds of thousands of civilians to evacuate from the border area, as both sides continue to exchange heavy artillery fire despite mounting international calls for de-escalation. According to Reuters, at least 16 people, most of them Thai civilians, have been killed since Thursday in what has been dubbed the fiercest military confrontation between the two neighbours in a decade. Fighting has been reported at no fewer than 12 locations along the 817-kilometer border, involving the use of heavy weaponry. On Friday, the Thai military reported clashes at the Ubon Ratchatani and Surin provinces, saying that Cambodia had conducted a sustained bombardment on the area using Russian-made BM-21 rocket systems. Bangkok then retaliated with an airstrike, which it insisted was an 'appropriate supporting fire in accordance with the tactical situation'. AP reported continued fighting around the Ta Muen Thom temple where the escalations had initially started, with sounds of artillery fire still audible from the site early on the second day. International concerns over a broader escalation have intensified, as both sides continue to trade blame and justify their offensives as acts of 'self-defense', while showing little consistent interest in third-party mediation. Asean chair Malaysia on Friday published a statement expressing its deep concern, urging both parties to exercise the utmost restraint and to take immediate steps to de-escalate tensions. 'Malaysia wishes to underscore the importance of resolving the border dispute through dialogue and diplomacy in the spirit of Asean solidarity and good neighbourliness,' wrote Malaysian Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan, also offering the 'good offices of the Asean chair' to facilitate a peace-centered resolution. On the previous night, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim personally called Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet and acting Thai prime minister Phumtham Wechayachai to 'appeal directly to both leaders for an immediate ceasefire, peaceful dialogue and a diplomatic resolution.' In a statement posted on his official Facebook page, Anwar said he welcomed 'the positive signals and willingness shown by both Bangkok and Phnom Penh to consider this path forward', underscoring the importance of 'the spirit of Asean unity and shared responsibility'. Thai foreign ministry spokesperson Nikorndej Balankura on Friday acknowledged to Reuters that Bangkok has received other mediating offers additional to Malaysia's, including the United States and China, but that it will not be considering any third-party mediating efforts at the moment, 'I don't think we need any mediation from a third country yet,' Nikorndej said at the interview. 'We stand by our position that bilateral mechanisms are the best way out. This is a confrontation between two countries,' he continued. Phnom Penh has on the other hand urged various international organizations, including Asean and the United Nations, to pay more 'urgent attention' to the situation, with its PM having sent a letter to the UN Security Council to express its 'profound indignation over the unprovoked and premeditated military aggression by the Kingdom of Thailand's armed forces'. Amid the spiraling situation, Cambodia's Hun Manet on Friday said in a national address urging his citizens to refrain from engaging in discrimination or any actions that may adversely impact the Thai embassy, foreign companies or citizens residing in Cambodia. 'Even though there is currently fighting between the Cambodian and Thai armies at the border, I appeal to all Cambodian citizens to maintain their morality and dignity,' he said, according to a Cambodian official statement. The fresh clashes erupted on Thursday morning, around 360 km east of Bangkok, with both sides accusing each other of sparking the escalation. Thailand and Cambodia have long-standing, overlapping territorial claims at multiple undemarcated sections of their shared border, particularly in the so-called Emerald Triangle that is home to several ancient temples. Tensions were reignited in May following the death of a Cambodian soldier in a cross-border firefight, triggering a diplomatic standoff that has since been compounded by political uncertainty in Bangkok. - The Jakarta Post/ANN
Los Angeles Times
6 days ago
- Politics
- Los Angeles Times
Tens of thousands flee their homes as Thailand and Cambodia clash
SURIN, Thailand — Tens of thousands of people sought refuge on Friday as border fighting between Thailand and Cambodia entered a second day, heightening fears of an extended conflict. The U.N. Security Council planned to hold an emergency meeting in New York on the crisis, while Malaysia, which chairs a regional bloc that includes both countries, called for an end to hostilities and offered to mediate. The Thai Health Ministry on Friday said more than 58,000 have fled from villages to temporary shelters in four affected border provinces, while Cambodian authorities said more than 23,000 people have evacuated from areas near the border. The latest flare-up in a long-running border dispute between the two countries has killed at least 19 people in Thailand — mostly civilians — while Cambodia confirmed its first fatality on Friday. Thailand's acting prime minister, Phumtham Wechayachai, said Friday that Cambodia may be guilty of war crimes due to the deaths of civilians and damage caused to a hospital. He said Thailand had exercised the 'utmost restraint and patience in the face of provocations and aggression' from Cambodia. Tensions over a disputed border area erupted into fighting after a land mine explosion along the border wounded five Thai soldiers on Wednesday. The Thai military reported clashes early Friday in multiple areas along the border, including near the ancient Ta Muen Thom temple claimed by both sides. Associated Press reporters near the border could hear sounds of artillery from early morning hours. The Thai army said Cambodian forces had used heavy artillery and Russian-made BM-21 rocket launchers, prompting what Thai officials described as 'appropriate supporting fire' in return. Thailand said six of its soldiers and 13 civilians were killed, including children, while 29 soldiers and 30 civilians were wounded. Cambodia's chief official in Oddar Meanchey province, Gen. Khov Ly, said a man died Thursday after a Thai rocket hit a Buddhist pagoda where he was hiding. At least four civilians in the province were also wounded Thursday. The Cambodian Education Ministry claimed that on Friday two Thai rockets had hit a school compound in Oddar Meanchey but caused no injuries. It said all schools in the province have been closed. The Thai army denied it targeted civilian sites in Cambodia, and accused Cambodia of using 'human shields' by positioning their weapons near residential areas. As the fighting intensified, villagers on both sides have been caught in the crossfire, leading many to flee. Around 600 people took shelter at a gymnasium in a university in Surin, Thailand, about 50 miles from the border. Evacuees sat in groups, on mats and blankets, and queued for food and drinks. Seamstress Pornpan Sooksai was accompanied by four cats in two fabric carriers. She said she was doing laundry at her home near Ta Muen Thom temple when shelling began Thursday. 'I just heard, boom, boom. We already prepared the cages, clothes and everything, so we ran and carried our things to the car. I was frightened, scared,' she recalled. Rattana Meeying, another evacuee, said she had also lived through the 2011 clashes between the two countries but described this flare-up as worse. 'Children, old people, were hit out of the blue,' she said. 'I never imagined it would be this violent.' At the nearby Phanom Dong Rak hospital, periodic explosions could be heard Friday, and a military truck arrived with three injured Thai soldiers, including one who had both legs severed. Thursday's shelling shattered windows at one of the hospital's buildings and damaged its roof. In the neighboring Sisaket province, more villagers took their belongings and left homes in a stream of cars, trucks and motorbikes after they received an evacuation order on Friday. Across the border in Cambodia, villages on the outskirts of Oddar Meanchey province were largely deserted. Homes stood locked, while chickens and dogs roamed outside. Some villagers earlier dug holes to create makeshift underground bunkers, covering them with wood, tarpaulin and zinc sheets to shield themselves from shelling. Families with children were seen packing their belongings on homemade tractors to evacuate, though a few men refused to leave. A remote Buddhist temple surrounded by rice fields accommodated several hundred evacuated villagers. Women rested in hammocks, some cradling babies, while children ran about. Makeshift plastic tents were being set up under the trees. Veng Chin, 74, pleaded with both governments to negotiate a settlement 'so that I can return to my home and work on the farm.' The conflict marks a rare instance of armed confrontation between member countries of the Assn. of Southeast Asian Nations, though Thailand has tangled with Cambodia before over the border and has had sporadic skirmishes with western neighbor Myanmar. Malaysia, the current ASEAN chair, expressed concern. Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said Friday that Thailand and Cambodia had agreed to a ceasefire and to withdraw their troops from the border, but requested more time before implementing the action, according to a report by Malaysia's Bernama national news agency. Anwar said he had spoken to both Cambodian leader Hun Manet and Thailand's Phumtham and urged them to open space for 'peaceful dialogue and diplomatic resolution,' while offering to have Malaysia facilitate talks. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has also called for restraint and urged both countries to resolve disputes through dialogue, according to U.N. deputy spokesman Farhan Haq. The 500-mile frontier between Thailand and Cambodia has been disputed for decades, but past confrontations have been limited and brief. The last major flare-up in 2011 left 20 dead. The current tensions broke out in May when a Cambodian soldier was killed in a confrontation that created a diplomatic rift and roiled Thailand's domestic politics. Things got worse when a land mine wounded five Thai soldiers on Wednesday, leading Bangkok to close the border and expel the Cambodian ambassador. The next day, clashes broke out along the border. Saksornchai and Cheang write for the Associated Press. AP writer Eileen Ng in Kuala Lumpur contributed to this report.
Euronews
6 days ago
- Politics
- Euronews
Thailand declares martial law in eight districts bordering Cambodia
Thailand declared martial law in eight districts bordering Cambodia on Friday as a dispute between the two neighbours continues to worsen. "Martial law is now in effect" in seven districts of Chanthaburi and one district of Trat, commander of the Border Defence Command, Apichart Sapprasert, said in a statement. The declaration was made to safeguard national sovereignty, territorial integrity and the lives and property of Thai citizens, the statement also said. Relations between Thailand and Cambodia have hit their lowest point in more than a decade, with both sides trading fire and air strikes since Thursday and tens of thousands of people on both sides of the border moving away from the conflict zone. The UN Security Council said it would hold an emergency meeting to discuss the escalating crisis later on Friday. Over 58,000 people fled their homes from four affected Thai border provinces and sought refuge in temporary shelters, the Thai Health Ministry said on Friday. Meanwhile, local authorities in Cambodia said more than 4,000 were evacuated from areas near the border. The two sides fired small arms, artillery and rockets at each other, which Thailand said killed one Thai soldier and 13 civilians and wounded at least 14 soldiers and 32 civilians. Cambodia reported its first death from the fighting on Friday. Thailand has also launched airstrikes at Cambodia, reportedly involving one of its six US-made F-16 fighter jets. The fighting began on Thursday morning close to the ancient Ta Muen Thom temple, beside the border between Thailand's Surin province and Cambodia's Oddar Meanchey province. It comes after months of heightened tensions between the neighbours, following the death of a Cambodian soldier in a border skirmish in May. The Thai army said six armed Cambodian soldiers opened fire near one of its military stations on Thursday, while Cambodia blamed Thailand for causing the latest clashes. In a statement published on Thursday, Cambodia's foreign ministry said it "condemns in the strongest possible terms this reckless and hostile act by Thailand," urging its neighbour to cease hostilities. Thailand's foreign ministry also issued a similar message, in which it encouraged Cambodia to bring the flare-up to an end. "The Royal Thai Government calls upon Cambodia to take responsibility for the incidents that have occurred, cease attacks against civilian and military targets, and stop all actions that violate Thailand's sovereignty," it said. Both Cambodia and Thailand have downgraded diplomatic relations since Wednesday, with Cambodia recalling its diplomatic staff and expelling the Thai ambassador on Thursday. Thailand also sealed all land border crossings with Cambodia, following a land mine blast on Wednesday that injured five Thai soldiers, one of whom lost a leg. Thai authorities claim that Cambodian troops have recently laid mines in previously safe areas, something Cambodia strongly rejects, saying that they are the legacy of old wars and unrest. There have also been major political consequences in Thailand, with former prime minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra suspended from office last month after making what critics saw as a disparaging comment about her country's military in a phone call to Cambodia's former Prime Minister Hun Sen, who leaked a recording of it. The border dispute between the two countries started more than a century ago, following the end of France's occupation of Cambodia.
