Thousands flee as fighting between Thailand and Cambodia continues
The Health Ministry on Friday said more than 58,000 have fled from villages to temporary shelters in four affected Thai border provinces, while Cambodian authorities said more than 4,000 people have evacuated from areas near the border.
The fighting has killed at least 14 people in Thailand, while Cambodia confirmed its first fatality on Friday.
Tensions over a disputed border area erupted into fighting after a land mine explosion along the border wounded five Thai soldiers on Wednesday.
The Thai military reported clashes early on Friday in multiple areas, including along the border at Chong Bok and Phu Makhuea in Thailand's Ubon Ratchathani province; at Phanom Dong Rak in Surin province; and near the ancient Ta Muen Thom temple.
Associated Press reporters near the border could hear the sounds of artillery from early morning hours.
The Thai army said Cambodian forces had used heavy artillery and Russian-made BM-21 rocket launchers, prompting what Thai officials described as 'appropriate supporting fire' in return.
Thailand said one soldier and 13 civilians were killed, including children, while 15 soldiers and 30 civilians were wounded.
Cambodia's chief official in Oddar Meanchey province, General Khov Ly, said a man died instantly on Thursday after a Thai rocket hit a Buddhist pagoda where he was hiding.
At least four civilians were also wounded in Thursday's fighting there.
As the fighting intensified, villagers on both sides have been caught in the crossfire, leading many to flee.
About 600 people took shelter at a gymnasium in a university in Surin, Thailand, about 50 miles from the border. Evacuees sat in groups, on mats and blankets, and queued for food and drinks.
Across the border in Cambodia, villages on the outskirts of Oddar Meanchey province were largely deserted. Homes stood locked, while chickens and dogs roamed outside.
Some villagers earlier dug holes to create makeshift underground bunkers, covering them with wood, tarpaulin and zinc sheets to shield themselves from shelling. Families with children were seen packing their belongings on home-made tractors to evacuate, though a few men refused to leave.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Guardian
3 hours ago
- The Guardian
The Guardian view on talking in class: the writers speaking up for oracy education are right
Two years ago, Sir Keir Starmer enthused about teaching speaking skills. So schools campaigners were understandably dismayed when oracy – otherwise known as speaking and listening – did not appear in the interim report of the curriculum review for England headed by Prof Becky Francis. Peter Hyman, the former New Labour adviser who became a headteacher, has been a key figure behind the revival, over the past decade, of an idea developed in the 1960s. Steps to embed the importance of verbal communication in education have already been taken, with more than 1,000 schools working with the charity Voice 21, and a parallel project in Scotland. The hope expressed by children's authors and others last week is that its absence from the draft report was an oversight which will soon be rectified. The task before Prof Francis's commission is a daunting one, with reformers of all kinds looking to it for solutions. An evidence call attracted 7,000 responses, with the future of special educational needs provision, and a wish to reduce exams, among key issues raised. But it should be clear to the panel, and to ministers, that oral learning also matters. One reason is the rising number of children arriving in primary school with speech and language skills below the expected level. While some pupils catch up later, others need specialist help. Communication difficulties are one reason for the increase in the number of education, health and care plans (EHCPs), which set out what such support entails. The reasons for such complex changes are not yet fully understood, although the pandemic has had an impact. The challenge of artificial intelligence, in relation to university studies as well as schools, is another factor behind a renewed emphasis on talking. Given the easy availability of technological tools to aid writing, it is arguably more important than ever that people are equipped to share ideas and knowledge through speech as well. In many European countries oral examinations are far more common, in schools as well as universities, whereas in the UK 'vivas' are mostly reserved for postgraduate studies. In foreign language learning, the importance of speaking is taken for granted. But while oracy already features in the maths and science curriculum, as well as in English, it is often marginalised. The tricky task of reformers is to alter teaching practice so that more weight is placed on verbal communication, without making this yet another assessment hurdle to be cleared. For its champions, the core of oracy education is the ability to make connections. They want young people to be able to express themselves, and point out that this is a vital life skill – for example, in job interviews and the kinds of public‑facing work that seem least likely to be taken over by machines – for which school should prepare them. Big gaps in confidence about public speaking have long been recognised among the most glaring social inequalities. This doesn't mean that everyone should aspire to be a debating champion. Different accents, personalities and ways of relating should be valued, not ironed out. But if our schools are to keep pace with our frenetically changing world, it is surely right that they should maximise the facility for language, which is part of what makes us human.
JAMnews
6 hours ago
- JAMnews
Georgia is hosting the multinational Resistant Spirit 2025 drills together with the United States
Joint U.S.-Georgia military exercises in Georgia From July 25 to August 6, Georgia is hosting the multinational military exercise Resistant Spirit 2025. The drills are organized by the United States European Command, which oversees U.S. forces in Europe and Africa. In addition to Georgia and the U.S., this year's participants include Bulgaria, Germany, Lithuania, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Turkey, and Ukraine. Notably, President Mikheil Kavelashvili and Defense Minister Irakli Chikovani, both from the Georgian Dream party, did not attend the opening of the exercises. Such drills have not been held in Georgia since 2023. Resistant Spirit 2025 highlights the United States' commitment to security and stability in the Black Sea region, as well as the importance of strong alliances and partnerships in addressing shared security challenges. 'On July 21, 2025, U.S. Army paratroopers from the 1st Squadron, 91st Cavalry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade conducted a joint airborne operation with approximately 100 Turkish paratroopers in Turkey. Following the operation, the troops relocated to Georgia to take part in multinational exercises, including live-fire drills,' reads a statement from the U.S. Army Europe and Africa website. Commentary Giorgi Tavdgiridze, colonel and military expert: ''Georgia is hosting the multinational Agile Spirit military exercises for the twelfth time. The official opening took place at the NATO–Georgia Joint Training and Evaluation Center (JTEC) in Krtsanisi district in Tbilisi. Addressing the troops were First Deputy Defense Minister Paata Patiashvili, Deputy Chief of the Defense Forces Irakli Chichinadze, and Brigadier General Terry Tillis, commander of the U.S. 7th Army in Europe and Africa. Notably, Defense Minister Irakli Chikovani of the Georgian Dream party did not attend the event. The silence from the commander of the defense forces and the chief of the general staff also remains unexplained. Russian bloggers are furious – they see NATO's return to Georgia as a painful blow, while Georgian Dream appears powerless to stop it. And the party's weakness is perceived as a devastating humiliation. No matter how often Georgian Dream claims it's not their fault, in Russia's eyes, they've lost significant ground. 'Georgian Dream is weak, but it is propped up by our patience and fear.' News from Georgia
The National
9 hours ago
- The National
David Lammy claims he's shrugged off 'impostor syndrome'
DAVID Lammy has revealed that someone in the UK thinks he is doing a good job as Foreign Secretary – him. In a spectacularly self-indulgent interview with LBC's James O'Brien, Lammy said he had shrugged off the 'impostor syndrome' which had dogged him his whole life until he was made a Cabinet minister. His reign at the Foreign Office has seen a brutal man-made famine sweep across Gaza, while Britain continues to arm Israel, and the White House imposing tariffs on the UK as part of Donald Trump's war on international free trade. READ MORE: 'He belongs in The Hague': Keir Starmer fiercely criticised over Gaza speech Lammy's blunders include referring to Israel's plans to herd Palestinians into a concentration camp in Gaza as a 'sticking point' and referring to members of Benjamin Netanyahu's government as 'extremists' as UK-made arms still flowed to Israel. On the other side, he has been criticised in the right-wing press for accusing Israel of breaking international law – which it obviously is, but that is not the official government line. He had to row that one back and blamed jetlag for speaking out of turn. 'Something just fell off my shoulders. There was this sense that I'm the right guy in the right job at the right time.' @DavidLammy opens up to James O'Brien about having imposter syndrome at every stage of his life, until he became Foreign Secretary. — LBC (@LBC) July 25, 2025 In a statement on the collapse of Bashar Al-Assad's regime in Syria in December, Lammy seemed to reveal that he didn't know where the country was as he referred to the risk of it falling into anarchy 'like Libya next door'. In the same statement, he also referred to Sudan as being 'not far away', which is true if you think that a distance of almost 2000 miles means somewhere is reasonably close. READ MORE: Kemi Badenoch: Pictures of starving children haven't shifted my support for Israel Speaking on O'Brien's profoundly missable Full Disclosure podcast, Lammy said: 'I have, up until relatively recently, impostor syndrome at nearly every critical stage of my life and certainly, on a more personal level, at the moments in nearly every decade of my life struggled with anxiety. He added: 'I literally walked into No 10, the Prime Minister asked me to be Foreign Secretary, I walked into the Foreign Office and – I'm going to get emotional again – and it just fell off my shoulders. 'I had arrived and there was a powerful sense that I was the right guy, in the right job, at the right time to do this and a certain kind of innate confidence in my ability to do this that has carried me through and continues to this day.' Bully for him.
