Thailand-Cambodia border clashes send half a million into shelters
More than 400,000 people have been evacuated in Thailand, while over 100,000 were displaced in Cambodia.
· CNA · JoinRead a summary of this article on FAST.
Get bite-sized news via a new
cards interface. Give it a try.
Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FAST
FAST
SAMRAONG, Cambodia: Half a million evacuees in Cambodia and Thailand were sheltering in pagodas, schools and other safe havens on Wednesday (Dec 10) after fleeing renewed fighting in a century-old border dispute in which US President Donald Trump has vowed to again intercede.
At least 14 people, including Thai soldiers and Cambodian civilians, have been killed in the latest fighting, officials said, while more than 500,000 people have fled border areas near where jets, tanks and drones were waging battle.
AFP journalists in northwestern Cambodia's Samraong town on Wednesday morning heard the blasts of incoming artillery from the direction of centuries-old temples in disputed border areas.
By the afternoon, hundreds of families were leaving a shelter at a pagoda near Samraong where they had been staying since Monday.
Subscribe to CNA’s Morning Brief
An automated curation of our top stories to start your day.
This service is not intended for persons residing in the E.U. By clicking subscribe, I agree to receive news updates and promotional material from Mediacorp and Mediacorp’s partners.
Loading
"Authorities say it is not safe anymore," said Seut Soeung, 30, as she rested alongside a road with her family and vehicles passed by loaded with people, dogs and bags of clothes.
A policeman who asked not to be named said the displaced families were being evacuated from the temple grounds due to safety concerns after a few Thai jets flew nearby.
Thailand and Cambodia dispute the colonial-era demarcation of their 800km frontier, where competing claims to historic temples have spilled over into armed conflict.
This week's clashes are the deadliest since five days of fighting in July that killed dozens before a shaky truce was agreed, following intervention by Trump.
Both sides blame each other for instigating the reignited conflict, which on Tuesday expanded to five provinces of both Thailand and Cambodia, according to an AFP tally of official accounts.
Thai defence ministry spokesperson Surasant Kongsiri told reporters on Wednesday that more than 400,000 civilians have been evacuated to shelters.
"RUN FOR MY LIFE"
Sugarcane farmer Niam Poda fled her home - just 5km from the frontier - in Thailand's border province of Sa Kaeo for the second time in five months.
The 62-year-old said she was doing laundry on Monday when a loud explosion rang out.
"I just had to run for my life as soon as I could," she told AFP at an evacuation centre, adding that she grabbed some clothes but left her medicines behind.
"Whatever happens next, I hope peace will come so I can go back to caring for my sugarcane in peace," she said.
The Thai military announced an overnight curfew from 7pm to 5am in parts of Sa Kaeo beginning Wednesday night.
In Cambodia, more than 101,000 people have been evacuated to shelters and relatives' homes, defence ministry spokeswoman Maly Socheata told reporters.
"The Thai army fired indiscriminately into civilian areas and schools and especially shelled Ta Krabey temple," she said, calling the contested border temple a "sacred site of Cambodia".
Maly Socheata later said the Cambodian death toll had climbed to nine civilians, including an infant.
The Thai army, meanwhile, said Cambodian forces fired rockets early on Wednesday that landed in the vicinity of the Phanom Dong Rak Hospital in Surin province - which was struck during previous clashes in July this year and in 2011.
Cambodia withdrew on Wednesday from the Southeast Asian Games, hosted by Thailand, with its Olympic committee "citing serious concerns and requests from the families of our athletes to have their relatives return home immediately".
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said on Wednesday that he had spoken to the prime ministers of both countries the day before, but no definitive resolution had been reached.
"I appreciate the openness and willingness of both leaders to continue negotiations in order to ease tensions and avoid any misunderstandings that could worsen the situation," Anwar said in a post on X, referring to Tuesday's calls.
"MAKE A CALL"
The United States, China and Malaysia, as chair of the regional bloc ASEAN, brokered the cessation of fighting in July.
In October, Trump backed a follow-on joint declaration, touting new trade deals with Thailand and Cambodia after they agreed to prolong their ceasefire.
But Thailand suspended the agreement the following month.
The US president said he was planning to "make a phone call" on Wednesday about the renewed clashes.
During a speech to supporters in the US on Tuesday, Trump listed various conflicts he has become involved with diplomatically, concluding with Cambodia and Thailand.
"Tomorrow, I have to make a phone call, and I think they'll get it," he said of the Southeast Asian neighbours.
"Who else could say, 'I'm going to make a phone call and stop a war of two very powerful countries'?"
Thailand's foreign ministry spokesperson Nikorndej Balankura told reporters Wednesday that the fighting would eventually end through talks, but now was not the time for dialogue.
"If any third country wants to mediate, Thailand can't accept that at this stage because the line has been crossed," he said.
"Thai citizens have been killed and we need to ensure there is enough trust before talks can begin."
United Nations human rights chief Volker Turk told journalists in Geneva that agreements between Thailand and Cambodia "have yet to translate into effective protection of civilians on the ground".
Pope Leo XIV called for a ceasefire on Wednesday and offered his prayers for those fleeing the fighting at his weekly audience at the Vatican.
Asian studies professor James Chin said the most viable solution would be to deploy a peacekeeping mission along the border.
This would ideally be led by ASEAN, which “really needs to show that it’s capable of looking after its own backyard”, he added.
Such a mission, he noted, should establish a no man’s land between the two sides. Once tensions ease, both parties could then begin discussions on a permanent peace settlement, including resolving the long-standing issue of border demarcation.
But nationalistic sentiment in both countries makes the dispute difficult to resolve.
“(This) has to be handled carefully so nobody loses face. In this part of the world, face is a very, very important thing. This requires a lot of pressure, not only from ASEAN but external powers,” the University of Tasmania professor told CNA’s Asia First programme.
“It's a question of who has the political gravitas to force the Thai military and the Cambodian government … back to the (negotiating) table. That's not an easy thing to do – but I suspect Trump is one of those personalities.”
Newsletter
Morning Brief
Subscribe to CNA’s Morning Brief
An automated curation of our top stories to start your day.
Sign up for our newsletters
Get our pick of top stories and thought-provoking articles in your inbox
Get the CNA app
Stay updated with notifications for breaking news and our best stories
Get WhatsApp alerts
Join our channel for the top reads for the day on your preferred chat app