SRINAGAR: Fierce fighting between Thailand and Cambodia continued for a third consecutive day on Wednesday, with cross-border shelling and air raids forcing more than 500,000 civilians to flee their homes, Al Jazeera News reported. At least 14 people — including Thai soldiers and Cambodian civilians — have been killed and 88 injured since clashes reignited earlier this week.
Both countries accused each other of reigniting the violence, which has triggered mass evacuations on both sides of the border. Thailand’s Ministry of Defence as per Bangkok Post said more than 400,000 people had been moved to emergency shelters across seven provinces due to what authorities described as an imminent threat to civilian safety. Rockets landing near Phanom Dong Rak Hospital in Surin forced patients and medical staff into underground bunkers on Wednesday morning.
Cambodia’s Ministry of National Defence said 101,229 civilians had been evacuated across five border provinces, accusing Thai forces of intensifying air and artillery strikes. Cambodianess reported that Thai F-16 fighter jets targeted areas inside Cambodia, while sustained artillery fire hit several other locations. Thailand’s Matichon Online confirmed that F-16s were deployed against what officials described as Cambodian military positions.
Thai media outlet The Nation reported that Cambodian rockets and artillery struck at least 12 frontline areas in four Thai provinces early Wednesday, as military officials acknowledged clashes in almost every province bordering Cambodia, with Surin province reporting fighting in at least five locations.
The current escalation marks the deadliest bout of violence since July, when clashes killed dozens and displaced around 300,000 people before a fragile ceasefire was brokered. U.S. President Donald Trump, who presided over that agreement, said on Wednesday he would make a phone call to stop the renewed conflict.
However, Thai Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow told Al Jazeera that conditions were not conducive to negotiations and dismissed suggestions of third-party mediation. Cambodia, by contrast, said it remained “ready to talk at any time.”
Phnom Penh accused Thailand of indiscriminate shelling of civilian areas, an allegation Bangkok strongly denied. In response to the worsening security situation, Cambodia announced its withdrawal from the Southeast Asian Games currently being hosted in Thailand.
Tensions have been rising for months, particularly after Thailand suspended de-escalation measures agreed during an October summit in Kuala Lumpur attended by President Trump. The agreement faltered after a Thai soldier was severely injured by a landmine Thailand claimed had been newly planted by Cambodian forces — an accusation Cambodia rejected.
The two nations have long disputed segments of their 800-kilometre border, rooted in colonial-era demarcations and overlapping claims to historic temple sites — a perennial source of conflict that has repeatedly erupted into armed confrontation.
