Kathmandu: Tensions between Thailand and Cambodia have sharply escalated, with at least 16 people dead and tens of thousands displaced as both countries trade heavy fire along the border, BBC reported on Thursday.
Thailand’s acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai warned that the situation “could move towards war,” as fighting involving heavy weapons spread to at least 12 locations. The Thai government has accused Cambodia of targeting civilian areas and has evacuated villages near rocket impact zones. Cambodia, in turn, accused Thailand of using internationally banned cluster munitions—a charge Bangkok has yet to respond to.
The conflict, rooted in a century-old border dispute, intensified in May after a Cambodian soldier was killed in a clash. Thursday’s violence has become the most severe in over a decade, according to displaced Thai residents speaking to the BBC.
Thailand’s foreign ministry has rejected international mediation offers, including one from Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who chairs ASEAN. “I don’t think we need any mediation from a third country yet,” said Thai foreign ministry spokesman Nikorndej Balankura, insisting the issue must be resolved bilaterally.
Meanwhile, Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Manet has called on the UN Security Council to intervene and halt what he described as “Thailand’s aggression.” The council is expected to meet on Friday.
The U.S., China, Australia, France, and the European Union have all called for an immediate ceasefire and protection of civilians. The U.S. State Department expressed “grave concern” over the rising civilian toll, with 14 Thai civilians and one soldier reported dead, along with at least one civilian in Cambodia.
At an evacuation center in Thailand’s Surin Province, evacuees told the BBC the recent attacks were more intense than any they had experienced since the Cambodian Civil War. Many of them, including elderly and children, were visibly shaken.
Both nations continue to blame each other for initiating the latest violence, with Thailand claiming Cambodian drones violated its airspace and Cambodia accusing Thai troops of breaching a previous agreement near a disputed temple site.
-BBC