Renewed border fighting between Thailand and Cambodia showed no signs of abating yesterday, leaving hundreds of thousands of displaced people in both countries living in strained conditions as more flooded into temporary shelters.
Reporters on the Thai side of the border heard sounds of outgoing, indirect fire yesterday.
About 400,000 people have been evacuated from affected areas in Thailand and about 700 schools closed while fighting was ongoing in four border provinces, said Thai Rear Admiral Surasant Kongsiri, a spokesman for the military.
Photo: EPA
Cambodia evacuated more than 127,000 villagers and closed hundreds of schools, the Thai Ministry of Defense said.
Thailand’s military announced that casualties this week include five soldiers killed and dozens wounded.
Cambodia said that seven civilians died and 20 others were wounded, although it had not updated the figures yesterday.
There is not yet a clear path to peace as Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul vowed to continue to fight and Cambodian Senate President Hun Sen promised a fierce response.
The new, widespread fighting followed a skirmish on Sunday that wounded two Thai soldiers and derailed a ceasefire pushed by US President Donald Trump that ended armed combat in July.
At a political event in Pennsylvania on Tuesday, Trump said that he would use his influence to put a stop to the renewed combat.
“Tomorrow I’ll have to make a phone call,” he said. “Who else could say: ‘I’m going to make a phone call and stop a war between two very powerful countries, Thailand and Cambodia?’”
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