Death toll in Thailand-Cambodia border clashes hits 32, dozens wounded
Cambodian Ministry of National Defence spokesperson Maly Socheata told reporters on Saturday that seven more civilians and five soldiers were confirmed dead. One other Cambodian man was earlier reported killed when Thai rockets hit the Buddhist pagoda he was hiding in on Thursday.
Thailand has reported 13 civilians – including children – as well as six soldiers killed over the past two days of fighting.
An additional 29 Thai soldiers and 30 civilians have also been wounded in Cambodian attacks.
Cambodian newspaper The Khmer Times, quoting officials in Cambodia's Preah Vihear province, said about 20,000 residents have so far been evacuated from the country's northern border with Thailand.
More than 138,000 people have also been evacuated from Thailand's border regions, with about 300 evacuation centres opened, according to Thai officials. On Friday, Thailand declared martial law in eight districts along the border with Cambodia.
The decades-old conflict – centred around a contested section of the Thai-Cambodian border – re-erupted on Thursday after a landmine explosion along the border wounded five Thai soldiers.
Tensions spilled over on Thursday with Thailand and Cambodia carrying out direct attacks on one another's territory, with both sides accusing the other of opening fire first.
Thailand said the Cambodian military launched long-range rockets at civilian targets in the country, including a strike on a petrol station that killed at least six people.
The Thai military then scrambled an F-16 fighter jet to bomb targets in Cambodia, including the reported strike on the Buddhist pagoda, which resulted in one civilian casualty.
Cambodia has accused Thailand of using a large number of cluster munitions – a controversial and widely condemned weapon – calling it a clear violation of international law.
Phumtham Wechayachai, Thailand's acting prime minister, said on Friday that Cambodia may be guilty of war crimes due to the deaths of civilians, as well as damage caused to a hospital.
The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) held an emergency meeting focused on the clashes behind closed doors late on Friday in New York, but did not issue an official public statement after the meeting.
The Associated Press news agency, citing an unnamed council diplomat, reported that all 15 UNSC members called on the parties to de-escalate fighting, show restraint and resolve the dispute peacefully.
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Al Jazeera
6 hours ago
- Al Jazeera
Thailand and Cambodia to hold ceasefire talks in Malaysia
The leaders of Thailand and Cambodia are set to meet in Malaysia for talks aimed at resolving a deadly border dispute, even as both sides accuse one another of new artillery attacks in contested areas. Thai acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai will lead Bangkok's delegation on Monday in the mediation effort. The talks are scheduled to begin at 3pm local time (07:00 GMT). Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet is also expected to attend, Malaysian authorities confirmed. Kuala Lumpur currently chairs the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) regional bloc, and has offered to mediate the crisis, which has left several soldiers dead in recent weeks. Tensions escalated after both nations exchanged fire along the disputed stretch of their shared border, prompting international concern. Last week, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim proposed a ceasefire to both parties. Speaking to reporters in Scotland on Sunday, United States President Donald Trump said he warned both countries that future trade agreements with Washington would be suspended if hostilities continue. 'I spoke to both of the prime ministers, and I think by the time I got off [the phone], I think they want to settle now,' Trump said during a meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Turnberry. He added he believed the talks in Malaysia marked a step toward de-escalation. Cambodia and Thailand have traded accusations of artillery attacks in the hours since Trump said both countries had agreed to hash out a ceasefire. The attacks on Sunday came after both sides said they were willing to start talks to end the fighting over their border dispute after Trump spoke to their leaders late on Saturday. Four days after the worst fighting in more than a decade broke out between the Southeast Asian neighbours, the death toll stood above 30, including 13 civilians in Thailand and eight in Cambodia. More than 200,000 people have also been evacuated from border areas in the two countries, authorities said. Cambodia said it fully endorsed Trump's call for an immediate ceasefire. Thailand, on the other hand, said that while it was grateful to Trump, it could not begin talks while Cambodia was targeting its civilians, a claim Phnom Penh denied. 'We have proposed a bilateral between our foreign ministers to conclude the conditions for a ceasefire and drawing back troops and long-range weapons,' Phumtham told reporters before heading off to visit border areas. Cambodia's Ministry of National Defence said Thailand shelled and launched ground assaults on a number of points along the border. The ministry's spokesperson said heavy artillery was fired at historic temple complexes. The Thai army, meanwhile, said Cambodian forces fired shots into several areas, including near civilian homes early on Sunday, and were mobilising long-range rocket launchers. 'Both governments today … blaming the other side for initiating the attacks, saying they both want a ceasefire but the other side has to meet certain conditions first… We are reaching this sort of deadlock where neither side is able to stand back,' Al Jazeera's Tony Cheng said, reporting from the Thai province of Surin along the Thai-Cambodia border. 'We just checked in with some contacts on the border. They say they are still hearing exchanges of artillery fire. There were heavy barrages going in from Thailand, most of it from the Thai side going across into Cambodia, but some … rockets coming back in exchange.' Thailand and Cambodia have bickered for decades over undemarcated points along their 817km (508-mile) land border with ownership of the ancient Hindu temples of Ta Moan Thom and the 11th-century Preah Vihear central to the dispute. Preah Vihear was awarded to Cambodia by the International Court of Justice in 1962, but tensions escalated in 2008 after Cambodia tried to list it as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and skirmishes over several years killed at least a dozen people. Ceasefire push Trump on Saturday said he had spoken with Phumtham and Hun Manet and they agreed to meet immediately to quickly work out a ceasefire to end the fighting, which began on Thursday. 'Both Parties are looking for an immediate Ceasefire and Peace,' Trump wrote on social media, adding that tariff negotiations with both countries were on hold until the fighting stopped. Hun Manet said his foreign minister, Prak Sokhonn, will speak with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to coordinate with the Thais and warned Bangkok against reneging on any agreement. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also urged both sides on Saturday to 'immediately agree to a ceasefire' and hold talks to find a lasting solution. As fighting continues, those evacuated from areas along the border in both countries are being 'relatively well cared for' at evacuation centres, Cheng said. 'They've got basic things like food, water, a little bit of bedding, but they came with virtually nothing, and they don't know if they're going to be here for days, weeks or even months,' he said from a centre in Surin, where 3,000 people are staying. Civilians on both sides are urging for a ceasefire to be implemented soon. 'For me, I think it is great if Thailand agreed to stop fighting so both countries can live with peace,' said Phnom Penh university student Sreung Nita. Thavorn Toosawan, a resident of Sisaket in northeastern Thailand, said, 'If there is a ceasefire, things will be better', adding, 'It's great that America is insisting on the ceasefire because it would bring peace.'
Al Jazeera
15 hours ago
- Al Jazeera
Trump's ceasefire push fails to stop Thailand-Cambodia border clashes
Cambodia and Thailand have traded accusations of artillery attacks hours after United States President Donald Trump said both countries had agreed to hash out a ceasefire. The attacks on Sunday came after both sides said they were willing to start talks to end the fighting over their border dispute after Trump spoke to their leaders late on Saturday. Four days after the worst fighting in more than a decade broke out between the Southeast Asian neighbours, the death toll stood above 30, including 13 civilians in Thailand and eight in Cambodia. More than 200,000 people have also been evacuated from border areas in the two countries, authorities said. Cambodia said it fully endorsed Trump's call for an immediate ceasefire. Thailand, on the other hand, said while it was grateful to Trump, it could not begin talks while Cambodia was targeting its civilians, a claim that Phnom Penh has denied. 'We have proposed a bilateral between our foreign ministers to conclude the conditions for a ceasefire and drawing back troops and long-range weapons,' acting Thai Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai told reporters before heading off to visit border areas. But artillery fire erupted on Sunday morning, and both nations blamed each other for the attacks. Cambodia's Ministry of National Defence said Thailand shelled and launched ground assaults on Sunday morning at a number of points along the border. The ministry's spokesperson said heavy artillery was fired at historic temple complexes. The Thai army, meanwhile, said Cambodian forces fired shots into several areas, including near civilian homes, early on Sunday and were mobilising long-range rocket launchers. 'Both governments today … blaming the other side for initiating the attacks, saying they both want a ceasefire but the other side has to meet certain conditions first. … We are reaching this sort of deadlock where neither side is able to stand back,' Al Jazeera's Tony Cheng said, reporting from the Thai province of Surin along the Thai-Cambodia border. 'We just checked in with some contacts on the border. They say they are still hearing exchanges of artillery fire. There were heavy barrages going in from Thailand, most of it from the Thai side going across into Cambodia, but some … rockets coming back in exchange.' Thailand and Cambodia have bickered for decades over undemarcated points along their 817km (508-mile) land border with ownership of the ancient Hindu temples of Ta Moan Thom and the 11th century Preah Vihear central to the dispute. Preah Vihear was awarded to Cambodia by the International Court of Justice in 1962, but tensions escalated in 2008 after Cambodia tried to list it as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and skirmishes over several years killed at least a dozen people. Ceasefire push Trump on Saturday said he had spoken with Phumtham and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet and they had agreed to meet immediately to quickly work out a ceasefire to end the fighting, which began on Thursday. 'Both Parties are looking for an immediate Ceasefire and Peace,' Trump wrote on social media, adding that tariff negotiations with both the countries were on hold until the fighting stopped. Hun Manet said his foreign minister, Prak Sokhonn, will speak with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to coordinate with the Thais and warned Bangkok against reneging on any agreement. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also urged both sides on Saturday to 'immediately agree to a ceasefire' and hold talks to find a lasting solution. As fighting continues, those evacuated from areas along the border in both countries are being 'relatively well cared for' at evacuation centres, Cheng said. 'They've got basic things like food, water, a little bit of bedding, but they came with virtually nothing, and they don't know if they're going to be here for days, weeks or even months,' he said from a centre in Surin, where 3,000 people are staying. Civilians on both sides are urging a ceasefire be implemented soon. 'For me, I think it is great if Thailand agreed to stop fighting so both countries can live with peace,' Phnom Penh university student Sreung Nita told the Reuters news agency. A resident in Sisaket in northeastern Thailand, Thavorn Toosawan, told Reuters that 'if there is a ceasefire, things will be better.' 'It's great that America is insisting on the ceasefire because it would bring peace.'
Al Jazeera
a day ago
- Al Jazeera
Trump wades in on Thailand-Cambodia fighting during golf visit in Scotland
United States President Donald Trump says he has spoken with the leaders of Cambodia and Thailand in a bid to end their border fighting, on the second day of his golfing trip in Scotland, where he owns and is promoting two courses. 'Just spoke to the Prime Minister of Cambodia relative to stopping the War with Thailand,' said Trump in a post on his Truth Social network on Saturday. Trump, who was playing at his Turnberry resort with son Eric and US ambassador to the UK Warren Stephens, said soon after in a new post, 'I have just spoken to the Acting Prime Minister of Thailand, and it was a very good conversation.' On Saturday, the death toll on both sides stood at 32, with more than 130 injured. Trump's announcement came as clashes, now in their third day, continued in the countries' coastal regions where they meet on the Gulf of Thailand, about 250 kilometres (160 miles) southwest of the main front lines. Tensions flared over long-contested ancient temple sites before fighting spread along the countries' rural border region, marked by a ridge of hills surrounded by wild jungle and agricultural land where locals farm rubber and rice. The decades-old conflict between Thailand and Cambodia, centred around a contested section of their shared border, re-erupted on Thursday after a landmine explosion along the border wounded five Thai soldiers. 'Thailand, like Cambodia, wants to have an immediate Ceasefire, and PEACE,' said Trump on Saturday. 'I am now going to relay that message back to the Prime Minister of Cambodia. After speaking to both Parties, Ceasefire, Peace, and Prosperity seems to be a natural. We will soon see!' Trump also indicated he would not move forward on trade deals with either nation until fighting has stopped. 'Even though he has Scottish roots, he's a disgrace' Trump's visit to Scotland, where his late mother hailed from, has met protests, both at the golf course where he is playing and elsewhere around the UK. Hundreds of demonstrators gathered on Saturday in front of the US Consulate in the capital Edinburgh. Speakers told the crowd that Trump was not welcome and criticised British Prime Minister Keir Starmer for striking a recent trade deal to avoid stiff US tariffs on goods imported from the UK. 'The vast majority of Scots have this sort of feeling about Trump that, even though he has Scottish roots, he's a disgrace,' said Mark Gorman, 63. Gorman, who works in advertising, said he came out 'because I have deep disdain for Donald Trump and everything that he stands for.' Protests also took place in other cities as environmental activists, opponents of Israel's war on Gaza, staunchly supported by the Trump administration, and pro-Ukraine groups loosely formed a 'Stop Trump Coalition'. 'I think there are far too many countries that are feeling the pressure of Trump and that they feel that they have to accept him and we should not accept him here,' said June Osbourne, 52, a photographer and photo historian. 'I don't think I could just stand by and not do anything,' said Amy White, 15, of Edinburgh, who attended with her parents. She held a cardboard sign that said 'We don't negotiate with fascists.' Other demonstrators held signs of pictures with Trump and Jeffrey Epstein as the feeding frenzy in the US media, and backlash from his MAGA base, over files in the case has increasingly frustrated the president. At a protest Saturday in Aberdeen, Scottish Parliament member Maggie Chapman told the crowd of hundreds: 'We stand in solidarity, not only against Trump but against everything he and his politics stand for.' While golf is the main purpose of his trip, Trump also plans to talk trade with Starmer and Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission president. The Trump family will also visit another one of their courses near Aberdeen in northeastern Scotland, before returning to Washington on Tuesday.
