Thai and Cambodian soldiers yesterday clashed in several areas along their border in a major escalation of their conflict that left at least 11 people dead, mostly civilians.
The two sides fired small arms, artillery and rockets, and Thailand also called in airstrikes.
Villagers on the Thai side could be seen on video fleeing their homes to seek shelter as the clashes began in the morning.
Photo: AFP
Fighting was ongoing in at least six areas along the border, Thai Ministry of Defense spokesman Surasant Kongsiri said.
The trigger for the clashes was a mine explosion along the border on Wednesday that wounded five Thai soldiers, and led Bangkok to withdraw its ambassador to Cambodia and expel Cambodia’s.
Thailand has also sealed all land border crossings, while urging its citizens to leave Cambodia.
The Southeast Asian neighbors have long-standing border disputes that periodically flare along their 800km frontier and usually result in brief confrontations that sometimes involves exchanges of gunfire.
Each side accuses the other of starting the fighting.
The first clash yesterday morning happened in an area near the Ta Muen Thom temple along the border of Thailand’s Surin Province and Cambodia’s Oddar Meanchey Province.
The Thai army said its forces heard a drone before seeing six armed Cambodian soldiers moving closer to Thai military positions.
It said Thai soldiers tried to shout at them to defuse the situation, but the Cambodian side opened fire.
The Cambodian Ministry of National Defense said that Thailand deployed a drone first before opening fire and that Cambodia “acted strictly within the bounds of self-defense, responding to an unprovoked incursion by Thai troops that violated our territorial integrity.”
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet wrote to the president of the UN Security Council asking for an urgent meeting “to stop Thailand’s aggression.”
Acting Thai Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai said that 11 people had died — 10 civilians and one soldier.
Cambodia released no details on deaths or injuries on its side.
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