More than 100,000 people have fled their homes amid the deadliest border violence between Thailand and Cambodia in a decade, Thai authorities confirmed on Friday, as the death toll rose and international powers called for an immediate halt to hostilities.
A long-standing border dispute erupted into full-scale combat on Thursday, involving airstrikes, artillery, tanks, and ground troops. The United Nations Security Council is expected to convene an emergency session later Friday to address the crisis.
According to Thailand’s Interior Ministry, residents from four provinces along the border have been relocated to nearly 300 temporary shelters. The Health Ministry reported that the confirmed death toll now stands at 14, including 13 civilians and one soldier.
In the Cambodian town of Samraong, located around 20 kilometres from the conflict zone, AFP journalists reported hearing distant artillery fire early Friday morning. As gunfire resumed, families were seen hastily evacuating with children and belongings in tow.
“I live very close to the border. We are scared because they began shooting again at about 6am,” said Pro Bak, 41, speaking to AFP while fleeing with his wife and children to a Buddhist temple for safety.
“I don’t know when we could return home,” he added.
Elsewhere, Cambodian troops were seen mobilising, with soldiers operating rocket launchers and moving rapidly toward the frontline. Cambodian officials reported at least one civilian killed and five injured during the latest clashes.
Meth Meas Pheakdey, spokesperson for the provincial administration in Oddar Meanchey, stated on Facebook that around 1,500 families from Banteay Ampil district have been evacuated to safer areas.
Tensions Boil Over a Disputed Frontier
The fighting marks a significant escalation in a border dispute that has lingered for years between the two Southeast Asian nations. Both are popular tourist destinations, but the unresolved territorial claims along the 800-kilometre border continue to provoke violent confrontations.
Skirmishes between 2008 and 2011 left at least 28 people dead and displaced tens of thousands. While a 2013 ruling by the International Court of Justice was expected to ease tensions, violence resumed in May when a Cambodian soldier was killed in a border incident.
According to the Thai army, Thursday’s fighting was concentrated across six locations, including the vicinity of two ancient temples.
Ground forces backed by tanks engaged in intense exchanges, while Cambodia reportedly launched rockets and artillery shells into Thai territory. In response, Thailand deployed F-16 fighter jets to strike Cambodian military positions.
Both sides accused each other of initiating the violence. Thai officials further alleged that Cambodia deliberately targeted civilian infrastructure, including a hospital and a petrol station.
The clashes came just hours after Thailand expelled Cambodia’s ambassador and recalled its own envoy, following a landmine explosion that injured five members of a Thai patrol unit. Cambodia responded by downgrading diplomatic ties, expelling Thai diplomats and retaining only one of its own in Bangkok.
At the request of Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet, the UN Security Council is set to meet urgently on Friday to address the deteriorating situation, according to diplomatic sources.
The United States has called for an “immediate” end to hostilities, while France, Cambodia’s former colonial power, echoed the demand.
The European Union and China, a key ally of Phnom Penh, have both expressed deep concern over the escalating violence and urged both nations to return to the negotiating table.
As the international community scrambles to contain the crisis, thousands remain displaced, and fears grow that the conflict could expand further if diplomatic efforts fail.
