Latest news with #Surin province
France 24
2 days ago
- Politics
- France 24
Thais and Cambodians refuse to quit homes on clash frontier
"At 5:00am every day, I hear the loud bangs and booms. Then I run into the woods for cover," the 53-year-old told AFP in the village of Baan Bu An Nong in Surin province, just 40 kilometres (25 miles) from the fraught frontier. His family of five fled to the capital Bangkok on the first day of clashes on Thursday, but he remains behind with their flock of chickens, three dogs and 14 prized buffalo. "How could I leave these buffaloes?" he asked, his eyes brimming with emotion. "I'd be so worried about them. After the strikes I go and console them, telling them 'It's okay. We're together'." Thailand and Cambodia's clashes have entered their fourth day after a festering dispute over sacred temples ignited into cross-border combat being waged with jets, tanks and group troops. Peace talks between leaders are scheduled for Monday in Malaysia, the Thai government has said. In the meantime, at least 34 people have been killed on both sides, mostly civilians, and more than 200,000 have fled their homes along the 800-kilometre border -- a rural area patched with rubber and rice farms. But on both sides of the tree-clad ridge marking the boundary between the two countries there are many who refuse to evacuate. As nearby blasts shake Cambodian restauranteur Soeung Chhivling's eaterie she continues to prepare a beef dish, declining to abandon the kitchen where she cooks for troops and medics mobilised to fight Thailand. "I am also scared, but I want to cook so they have something to eat," said the 48-year-old, near a hospital where wounded civilians and troops are being treated. "I have no plan to evacuate unless jets drop a lot of bombs," she told AFP in Samraong city, just 20 kilometres from the Thai frontier, where most homes and shops are already deserted. 'I'd rather die at home' Back on the Thai side, Pranee Ra-ngabpai, a researcher on Thai-Cambodian border issues and a local resident, said many who have chosen to stay behind -- like her own father -- are men who hold traditional and stoic values. "He is still there in the house right now and refuses to leave," Pranee said. "There's this mindset: 'If I die, I'd rather die at home' or 'I can't leave my cows'." Baan Bu An Nong has been designated a "red zone" -- meaning it is high risk for air strikes, artillery barrages and even gun battles between ground troops. But village co-leader Keng Pitonam, 55, is also reluctant to depart. Loading grass onto his three-wheeled cart to feed his livestock, he is now responsible for dozens of neighbours' animals as well as their homes. "I have to stay -- it's my duty," Keng told AFP. "I'm not afraid. I can't abandon my responsibilities," he said. "If someone like me -- a leader -- leaves the village, what would that say? I have to be here to serve the community, no matter what happens." His local temple has become a makeshift donation and rescue hub, parked with ambulances inside its perimeter. "I have to stay -- to be a spiritual anchor for those who remain," said the abbot, declining to give his name. "Whatever happens, happens." Huddled in a bunker just 10 kilometres from the border, Sutian Phiewchan spoke to AFP by phone, pausing as his words were interrupted by the crackle of gunfire. He remained behind to fulfil his obligations as a volunteer for the local civil defence force, activated to protect the roughly 40 people still staying there. "Everyone here is afraid and losing sleep," the 49-year-old said. "We're doing this without pay. But it's about protecting the lives and property of the people in our village." © 2025 AFP
Bloomberg
3 days ago
- Politics
- Bloomberg
Thai Monks Remain in Temple as Violence Continues
Thai monks refuse to leave temple as border violence continues, while pensioners help displaced people in Surin province near Cambodian border. Thailand said its navy joined the army in repelling Cambodian attacks along the border, as fighting spread to new areas on the third day of a conflict that has killed more than 30 people. (Source: Bloomberg)
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Civilians wounded as Thailand, Cambodia trade fire
At least three civilians were wounded in a Cambodian rocket strike on Thursday as its military clashed once again with Thailand over disputed territory. Fighting erupted near two temples on the border between the Thailand's Surin province and Cambodia's Oddar Meanchey. Both governments blame the other for triggering the fresh clash. The two nations are locked in disagreement over the Emerald Triangle — an area where the borders of both countries and Laos meet, and home to several ancient temples. The neighboring countries have been arguing over where the border should be drawn for years. A livestream video from Thailand's side showed people running from their homes and hiding in a concrete bunker as explosions sounded. How did the clashes break out? Thailand's army has blamed Cambodian forces for opening fire first, claiming that Cambodia targeted civilians with two BM-21 rockets which hit a community in Surin's Kap Choeng district. It said clashes began when a unit guarding the Ta Muen temple heard a Cambodian drone overhead. Thai soldiers then found six armed Cambodian soldiers, including one carrying a rocket-propelled grenade, approaching a barbed-wired fence in front of the Thai post. Thailand claimed its solders shouted to warn them, but Cambodian forces opened fire toward the eastern side of the temple close to the Thai base. Initial reporting suggested that at least three people were injured and that two people had been killed, though it wasn't immediately clear if the deaths were military or civilians. Meanwhile, Cambodia said its neighbor had violated a peace agreement and opened fire on the Cambodian army. "The Thai military violated the territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Cambodia by launching an armed assault on Cambodian forces stationed to defend the nation's sovereign territory," Defense Ministry spokeswoman Maly Socheata said in a statement. "In response, the Cambodian armed forces exercized their legitimate right to self-defense, in full accordance with international law, to repel the Thai incursion and protect Cambodia's sovereignty and territorial integrity." The clashes come a day after Thailand recalled its ambassador from Cambodia and said it would expel his counterpart, after a second Thai soldier lost a limb to a landmine in a week. Bangkok alleged the landmines were recetly placed in the disputed region. Thailand deploys fighter jet: reports Thailand's military deployed an F-16 fighter jet, the nation's army said on social media, as the dispute escalated. The forces claimed the F-16 had destroyed a Cambodian military target. On the other side of the border, Cambodia's defense ministry said Thai fighter jets had dropped two bombs on a road. Thailand's embassy in Phnom Penh urged its nationals to leave "as soon as possible" in a Facebook post. Edited by: Elizabeth Schumacher
The Guardian
5 days ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Thailand-Cambodia border clash live: Thailand urges nationals to leave Cambodia after troops trade fire
Update: Date: 2025-07-24T04:07:30.000Z Title: Two killed in Cambodian shelling, says Thai official Content: At least two Thai civilians have been killed and two others injured by the shelling from the Cambodian side on Thursday, a Thai district official told Reuters. Some 40,000 civilians from 86 villages in Thailand have also been evacuated to safer locations, the district chief of Kabcheing in Surin province, Sutthirot Charoenthanasak, told the news agency. Update: Date: 2025-07-24T04:00:26.000Z Title: Thai embassy urges nationals to leave Cambodia over border clashes Content: Agence France-Presse is reporting that Thailand's embassy has urged nationals to leave Cambodia over the border clashes. It comes after Thailand recalled its ambassador to Cambodia on Wednesday and said it would expel Cambodia's envoy in Bangkok, after a second Thai soldier in the space of a week lost a limb to a landmine in the disputed area. Update: Date: 2025-07-24T03:58:35.000Z Title: Opening summary Content: Hello and welcome to our live coverage of clashes on the Thai-Cambodia border. Thai and Cambodian soldiers have fired at each other in a contested border area on Thursday, after the nations downgraded their diplomatic relations in a rapidly escalating dispute. It was not immediately clear if the clash was ongoing. A livestream video from Thailand's side showed people running from their homes and hiding in a concrete bunker Thursday morning as explosions sounded periodically. The clash happened in an area where the ancient Prasat Ta Muen Thom temple stands along the border of Thailand's Surin province and Cambodia Oddar Meanchey province. You can read our full report here:
