Over 100,000 people have fled the bloodiest border clashes between Thailand and Cambodia in a decade, Bangkok announced on Friday, as international calls for a cessation of hostilities intensify.
Escalation of Border Dispute Leads to Mass Displacement
Long-standing border disagreements escalated into intensive fighting involving artillery, tanks, and ground troops on Thursday. The United Nations Security Council is expected to hold an urgent meeting on the crisis later today.
Thailand’s Interior Ministry stated that over 100,000 individuals from four border provinces have evacuated to 300 temporary shelters. The number of casualties has risen to 15 dead and 46 wounded. Cambodian authorities have not yet released their figures.
In the Cambodian town of Samraong, approximately 20 kilometers from the border, journalists reported hearing artillery fire on Friday morning. Several families were seen gathering their belongings and leaving by car with their children.
“I live very close to the border. We are afraid because they started attacking again,” Pro Bak, 41, told AFP news agency, as he fled with his wife and children to a Buddhist temple for shelter. “I don’t know when we will be able to return home.”
Calls for Ceasefire and Dialogue Amidst Humanitarian Crisis
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, whose country chairs the regional ASEAN bloc, stated that he has spoken with the prime ministers of both nations and called for a ceasefire and dialogue.
The recent fighting marks a dramatic escalation in the protracted conflict between these two neighboring countries, both major tourist destinations, which share an 800-kilometer border. Dozens of kilometers remain disputed, leading to clashes between 2008 and 2011 that left 28 people dead and thousands displaced.
While a United Nations court had previously addressed the dispute, the current crisis erupted in May when a Cambodian soldier was killed in renewed skirmishes.
