Concerns of a wider conflict in the region have been raised as hostilities between the neighbors of Southeast Asia intensify, with 32 people killed and over 130 injured in ongoing battles along the Thailand-Cambodia border.
Twelve more people were confirmed dead on Saturday by Cambodian officials, including five soldiers and seven civilians, bringing the nation’s total death toll to 18. A civilian was killed earlier when a Thai rocket struck a Buddhist pagoda where he wanted shelter, according to Maly Socheata, an official for the Cambodian Ministry of National Defense.
“Since the violence started, more than 70 Cambodians, including 20 soldiers, have been injured,” the official stated.
Authorities on the Thai side say that during the last two days, 19 people have died, including six troops and 13 civilians. Thai officials said children are among the civilian casualties. Retaliatory attacks claimed to be carried out by Cambodian forces have injured an additional 59 people, including 29 soldiers and 30 civilians.
Both sides blamed one another for the first provocation and engaged in direct fire on Thursday, marking the start of the current fighting. Thailand said that six people were killed when the Cambodian military fired long-range rockets at civilian targets, including a gas station.
The Royal Thai Air Force responded by sending out an F-16 fighter jet, which is said to have bombed multiple locations within Cambodian territory.
According to local sources, one of the strikes killed a civilian in Cambodia after striking a Buddhist pagoda.
Cambodia has further claimed that Thailand violated international law by using cluster munitions, which are widely criticized for their random effects, during the attack.
According to representatives of the Cambodian foreign ministry, “the use of cluster bombs is not only unacceptable but constitutes a breach of humanitarian conventions.”
Using attacks on residential areas and damage to medical facilities as evidence, Thailand’s acting prime minister, Phumtham Wechayachai, sharply denied Cambodia’s accusations of war crimes. At a news event on Friday, he stated, “We are examining all legal options.”
Both nations have taken action to protect their respective border populations as the crisis worsens. Nearly 20,000 people have been evacuated from border communities in Preah Vihear, Cambodia, according to provincial authorities. More than 138,000 people have been evacuated from the border area, according to Thai officials, who have also set up around 300 makeshift shelters.
Additionally, Thailand imposed martial law in eight districts that border Cambodia, increasing military presence and limiting civilian mobility in those areas.
In order to resolve the developing issue, the UN Security Council called an emergency closed-door meeting in New York on Friday night. The fact that the meeting ended without a public declaration, however, revealed disagreements among the council regarding the next step.
