Thailand-Cambodia clashes: Could they escalate into war? | DW News

The fighting marks a dramatic escalation in a long-running dispute between the two Southeast Asian neighbors. Thailand said over 100,000 people have so far been displaced. The United Nations Security Council is due to hold an emergency meeting on Friday to discuss the ongoing border clashes between Thailand and Cambodia.

A long-running border dispute erupted into intense fighting on Thursday, with violence flaring near two temples on the border between Thailand's Surin province and Cambodia's Oddar Meanchey. Both countries blame the other for triggering the latest clashes. While Cambodia fired rockets and shells into Thailand, the Thai military scrambled F-16 jets to hit military targets across the border.

Clashes continue for a second day

The fighting continued for a second day early on Friday, Thai authorities said. They also claimed that Cambodia was using heavy weapons, including artillery and rockets. "Cambodian forces have conducted sustained bombardment utilizing heavy weapons, field artillery, and BM-21 rocket systems," the Thai military said in a statement. "Thai forces have responded with appropriate supporting fire in accordance with the tactical situation." The Thai Interior Ministry said the death toll on their side had risen to 14. It added that over 100,000 people from four border provinces had been moved to nearly 300 temporary shelters. The exact number of casualties in Cambodia remains unclear. A Cambodian provincial official said on Friday that at least one Cambodian civilian was killed and five others injured. Around 1,500 Cambodian families from Banteay Ampil district in the Oddar Meanchey province near the conflict zone have been evacuated to safety, Meth Meas Pheakdey, a spokesperson for the provincial administration, said on Facebook.

#Thailand #Cambodia

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