Thai-Cambodian border clashes leave 12 dead: here's all you need to know

Tensions between Thailand and Cambodia erupted into open conflict on Thursday, as soldiers from both sides clashed across multiple points along their shared border, resulting in at least 12 deaths and dozens of injuries.

Thailand’s health minister, Somsak Thepsuthin, said that 12 people — 11 civilians and one soldier — were killed in artillery shelling by Cambodian forces.

Among the civilian casualties was a child. He added that 24 civilians and seven military personnel were wounded.

According to Thailand’s foreign ministry, the Cambodian attacks targeted civilian areas, including a hospital, resulting in fatalities.

The ministry called on Cambodia to immediately halt what it described as serious violations of international law.

The clashes marked a significant escalation in a long-simmering dispute and led to a breakdown in diplomatic relations between the Southeast Asian neighbours.

The Thai military reported that Cambodian forces used rocket launchers against civilian areas in Thailand’s Surin Province.

Thailand, in turn, launched airstrikes on what it said were military targets across the border.

A video from the Thai side showed villagers fleeing their homes and taking shelter in bunkers as explosions rang out.

Thai authorities have sealed all land border crossings with Cambodia and urged Thai nationals to leave the country.

Mine explosion triggered retaliation

The clashes followed a mine explosion on Wednesday that injured five Thai soldiers.

Bangkok blamed Cambodia for the incident and responded by withdrawing its ambassador from Phnom Penh while expelling Cambodia’s envoy from Thailand.

Thai officials alleged that the mines were recently laid in areas previously agreed to be clear of ordnance and claimed the devices were Russian-made, not part of Thailand’s military inventory.

Cambodia rejected these allegations as “baseless,” citing the legacy of unexploded ordnance from past conflicts.

Cambodia also downgraded diplomatic relations and ordered the withdrawal of all Cambodian diplomatic staff from its embassy in Bangkok.

Competing accounts of the border clash

The initial confrontation on Thursday occurred near the ancient Ta Muen Thom temple on the border between Thailand’s Surin Province and Cambodia’s Oddar Meanchey Province.

According to the Thai army, troops heard a drone before spotting six armed Cambodian soldiers approaching their position.

Thai forces reportedly attempted verbal warnings before Cambodian troops opened fire.

Cambodia offered a different version of events, accusing Thailand of deploying a drone first and initiating the firefight.

In a statement, the Cambodian Defence Ministry said it had responded “strictly within the bounds of self-defence” to an unprovoked incursion.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet has written to the current president of the United Nations Security Council, requesting an urgent meeting to address what Cambodia describes as “Thailand’s aggression.”

Airstrikes and civilian casualties

The Thai military said it launched airstrikes targeting Cambodian military positions later in the day.

Cambodia claimed the airstrikes struck a road near the ancient Preah Vihear temple, another flashpoint in the border dispute.

Thailand said one of its F-16 fighter jets carried out a strike inside Cambodia, destroying a military target. The army added that several more jets were on standby for deployment.

Thai Defence Ministry spokesperson Surasant Kongsiri confirmed that fighting broke out in at least six locations along the border.

The Cambodian Defence Ministry also accused Thailand of attacking civilian infrastructure.

Thailand’s Foreign Ministry responded by alleging that Cambodian attacks had struck both military and civilian targets inside Thai territory, including a hospital.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nikorndej Balankura said the Thai government would intensify self-defence measures if the attacks continued, citing international law.