SURIN – In a tragic escalation of hostilities along the Thai-Cambodian border, three Thai civilians have lost their lives, according to military officials on Thursday. This marks the first civilian casualties since the recent resurgence of fighting.
The renewed clashes erupted following a skirmish on Sunday, which injured two Thai soldiers and disrupted a ceasefire brokered by former U.S. President Donald Trump. The ceasefire had previously halted five days of intense conflict in July, rooted in longstanding territorial tensions.
Reports indicate that the ongoing conflict has claimed approximately two dozen lives. Furthermore, it has forced hundreds of thousands to flee, seeking refuge in temporary shelters or with family members across the border.
The Thai Army reported that Cambodian forces initiated an attack on Wednesday night using artillery and mortars against Thai positions. In response, Thai forces retaliated with similar heavy weaponry, resulting in significant damage, including the destruction of enemy vehicles.
According to Cambodia’s Fresh News, a media outlet known for aligning with government views, artillery exchanges were still ongoing as of Thursday morning.
The renewed violence has sparked international concern, prompting Pope Leo XIV to express his sorrow during a Vatican address, stating he was “deeply saddened by the news of the renewed conflict.”
“There have been casualties, including among civilians, and thousands of people have been forced to leave their homes. I express my closeness in prayer to these dear peoples,” he said on Wednesday.
Trump says he will urge sides to return to ceasefire
The original ceasefire in July was brokered by Malaysia and pushed through by pressure from Trump, who threatened to withhold trade privileges unless Thailand and Cambodia agreed. It was formalized in more detail in October at a regional meeting in Malaysia that Trump attended.
Despite the deal to stop fighting, the two countries carried on a bitter propaganda war and minor cross-border violence continued. Cambodia complained that Thailand did not return 18 soldiers it captured as the ceasefire was coming into effect, while Thailand protested after soldiers patrolling the frontier were wounded by land mines, which it alleges were newly laid by Cambodia. Cambodia insisted that the mines were left over from its decades of civil war that ended in 1999.
Trump said he expects to speak by phone with the two leaders on Thursday, and expressed confidence that he would persuade the two sides, once again, to stop the fighting.
“I think I can get them to stop fighting. Who else can do that?” Trump said on Wednesday in an exchange with reporters, in which he also repeated his exaggerated claim of settling eight wars around the globe since his return to the White House. “Every once in a while, one will flame up again and I have to put out that little flame.”
The U.S. had yet to contact Thailand following Trump’s latest remarks, Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul told reporters in Bangkok on Thursday.
Anutin, reflecting nationalistic public sentiment, has repeatedly vowed to continue fighting until Thailand’s sovereignty and security are assured.
In remarks on Wednesday, he did not seem to rule out negotiations with Cambodia, but said he would not do so simply at the request of Trump.
Rivals exchange strikes
Thailand has deployed jet fighters to carry out airstrikes on what it says are military targets. Cambodia has deployed BM-21 rocket launchers with a range of 30-40 kilometers (19-25 miles).
According to data collected by public broadcaster ThaiPBS, at least six of the Thai soldiers who were killed were hit by rocket shrapnel.
The Thai army’s northeastern regional command said Cambodian forces on Wednesday had by mid-afternoon fired 79 BM-21 salvos with 3,160 rockets, used artillery 122 times and employed bomb-dropping drones in 63 attacks. It said a hospital in Surin province was evacuated after rockets hit about 500 meters (550 yards) away.
The Thai army also said on it destroyed a tall crane atop a hill held by Cambodia where the centuries-old Preah Vihear temple is located, because it allegedly held electronic and optical devices used for military command and control purposes.
Thailand’s military announced Thursday that the dead include nine soldiers, as well as three civilians, whose deaths they said occurred as they were being evacuated. It also said that more than 120 troops have been wounded.
Cambodia has said nine civilians have died, including a baby, and 46 others have been wounded.
An ancient temple sits at the heart of the dispute
The U.N.’s cultural agency, UNESCO, on Wednesday expressed its “strong concern” over fighting in the vicinity of the Preah Vihear temple, which it has designated a World Heritage site.
“UNESCO stands ready to provide the necessary technical assistance to ensure the protection of cultural property and implement any necessary safeguarding measures as soon as conditions allow,” it said.
The roots of the Thai-Cambodian border conflict lie in a history of enmity over competing territorial claims. These claims largely stem from a 1907 map created while Cambodia was under French colonial rule, which Thailand maintains is inaccurate. Tensions were exacerbated by a 1962 International Court of Justice ruling that awarded sovereignty to Cambodia, which still riles many Thais.
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Sopheng Cheang in Srei Snam, Cambodia, Wasamon Audjarint in Bangkok and Matthew Lee and Aamer Madhani in Washington contributed to this report.
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