Clashes between Thai and Cambodian troops at their disputed border have resulted in the deaths of at least 12 people, with dozens sustaining varying degrees of injuries.
The fighting marks an escalation of a long-standing dispute between the two Southeast Asian neighbours that dates back more than a century.
According to the Thai army, which also reported that several people were wounded during the clash, most of the casualties were civilians from three Thai provinces.
Thai authorities said a total of 11 civilians, including an eight-year-old and a 15-year-old, as well as one military personnel, were killed in the provinces of Surin, Ubon Ratchathani, and Si Sa Ket.
Both sides exchanged gunfire early on Thursday, with each claiming the other triggered the conflict.
It escalated quickly, with Thailand accusing Cambodia of firing rockets, while Bangkok launched airstrikes on Cambodian military targets.
Thailand has closed its border with Cambodia, while Cambodia has downgraded diplomatic ties, accusing the Thai military of using “excessive force.”
Both countries have urged their citizens near the border to evacuate, with Thailand relocating 40,000 civilians to safer areas.
“The fighting is really serious. We’re in the middle of evacuating,” said Sutian Phiwchan, a resident of Ban Dan district in Thailand’s Buriram province, near the Cambodian border.
While Cambodia has yet to report any casualties on its side, both Southeast Asian nations have given conflicting accounts of what led to the latest violence.
Thailand claims the clash began when Cambodian troops deployed drones to conduct surveillance of Thai soldiers near the border.
Cambodia, however, stated that Thai soldiers violated a prior agreement by advancing on a Khmer-Hindu temple near the disputed zone.
The dispute dates back more than a hundred years, when the borders of the two countries were drawn following the French colonial occupation of Cambodia.
Tensions became officially hostile in 2008, when Cambodia attempted to register an 11th-century temple in the disputed area as a UNESCO World Heritage Site—a move that sparked strong protests from Thailand.
Since then, there have been sporadic clashes, resulting in deaths on both sides.
The latest tensions intensified in May, after a Cambodian soldier was killed during a skirmish—plunging bilateral relations to their lowest point in over a decade.
In the past two months, both countries have imposed border restrictions on each other. Cambodia banned imports from Thailand, including fruits and vegetables, and suspended imports of power and internet services.
Both sides have also reinforced troop deployments along the border in recent weeks.
Thailand’s acting Prime Minister, Phumtham Wechayachai, said the dispute remains “delicate” and must be handled with care and in accordance with international law.
Meanwhile, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet stated that Cambodia seeks a peaceful resolution, but added that the country has “no choice” but to “respond with armed force against armed aggression.”
