Over 100,000 Thai civilians evacuated as the Thailand-Cambodia border tension escalates into deadly military clashes.
Thailand has evacuated over 100,000 civilians from four provinces bordering Cambodia amid escalating Thailand-Cambodia border tensions, marking the deadliest military confrontation between the two nations in over a decade. The Thai interior ministry reported that 100,672 individuals had been moved to shelters, as artillery and rocket exchanges with Cambodian forces continued for a second consecutive day.
Thai military officials stated that Cambodian troops launched heavy bombardments using field artillery and BM-21 rocket systems early Friday in Ubon Ratchathani and Surin provinces. In response, Thai forces returned fire “in accordance with the tactical situation.”
The Thai Health Ministry also confirmed 15 fatalities, including 14 civilians and one soldier. An eight-year-old boy was among the victims. Thirty-one others sustained injuries on Thursday. Cambodian sources, meanwhile, reported one civilian death and five injuries, with the evacuation of 1,500 families.
The clashes erupted across six locations spanning 209km of contested frontier, and both sides accuse the other of initiating hostilities in the disputed zones.
Thai response
Thailand’s acting Prime Minister, Phumtham Wechayachai, condemned the attacks, stating: “We condemn this – using heavy weapons without a clear target, outside of conflict zones… the use of force and did not adhere to international law.”
He emphasized Thailand’s commitment to peaceful resolution while asserting the right to self-defense against what he called provocations. Thailand also reported that a hospital in Surin province was struck during the clashes. Health Minister Somsak Thepsuthin labeled the incident a potential “war crime.”
