Thailand and Cambodia continued to exchange heavy artillery and rocket fire on Friday, as their worst cross-border fighting in more than a decade entered a second day. Thailand’s acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai warned the fighting with Cambodia “could develop into war”, but added, “for now it remains limited to clashes.”
At least 15 people have been killed in Thailand, 14 of them civilians, according to the country’s Health Ministry, and one person has been reported killed in Cambodia. More than 120,000 people have been reported displaced on both sides of the Thai-Cambodian border as locals seek shelter amid the frontier fighting. The Thai government has set up 300 evacuation centers around the country to accommodate the displaced residents.
The international community is urging both sides to de-escalate the situation. Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, whose country currently holds the chair of regional bloc ASEAN, said he held talks with both countries’ leaders and called for a ceasefire and dialogue. The United Nations Security Council is expected to hold an emergency meeting at the UN headquarters in New York later today to discuss the latest border clashes.
The UNSC meeting comes in response to Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet’s request on Thursday that the UNSC convene an “urgent meeting” to discuss the escalating border dispute. The Cambodian Mine Action and Victim Assistance Authority has also accused Thailand of using cluster munitions, citing a Cambodian military field report from early Friday.
The humanitarian situation on the border is dire, with thousands of people displaced and in need of assistance. Tony Cheng, reporting from Surin province, Thailand, said that the immediate needs of the displaced residents are being taken care of, but the situation remains precarious. “Some of the older people that we have talked to said that what they have seen in the last 48 hours, that the fighting they’ve seen has been the fiercest in this disputed area since the late 1970s, when the Khmer Rouge had a complete control of the other side of the border.”
The situation on the border remains volatile, with both sides exchanging heavy artillery and rocket fire. The international community is calling for a ceasefire and dialogue to resolve the conflict peacefully.