Fierce fighting on the Thai-Cambodian border has left over 30 people dead and forced over 170,000 civilians from their homes, with artillery shells, rockets, and machine gun fire ripping through contested areas.
The fighting, which focused on the ancient Ta Moan Thom and Ta Krabei temples, broke out on Thursday and has spread quickly. Both sides have blamed each other for starting the violence. The temples are on a long-disputed portion of the 800 km border that has been a political hotspot for decades.
Injured Soldiers, Displaced Families Struggle Amid Ongoing Clashes
On Friday, a Cambodian soldier rested in an Oddar Meanchey hospital hallway, waiting for surgery to have shrapnel lodged in his back from a Thai artillery shell removed. “When I was hit, my uniform was torn off,” he remembered, injured near Ta Moan Thom temple. A second soldier told of being hit by shrapnel on the shoulder during fighting near Ta Krabei temple.
Cambodia asserts it has regained land surrounding both temples after pushing out Thai soldiers, but independent confirmation is still unavailable.
The fighting has caused mass civilian evacuations on both sides. Thai officials say nearly 140,000 citizens have been displaced, while Cambodia evacuated around 38,000 locals in Preah Vihear, Oddar Meanchey, and Pursat provinces.
“We fled for our lives and could not take everything we had,” one Cambodian villager now in a shelter with her children said. Several displaced families have complained about running low on food and receiving little assistance from the government.
Diplomatic Fallout and War Crimes Accusations
This recent bout of violence is the worst since 2011, when fatal fighting broke out near Cambodia‘s UNESCO-recognised Preah Vihear temple. Fighting flared again in May when one Cambodian soldier was shot to death in a brief firefight with Thai soldiers. Violence escalated after Thai soldiers were allegedly wounded by landmines, which Thailand accuses newly laid by Cambodian troops — an accusation Cambodia denies, blaming its civil war period.
Both countries have recalled their ambassadors and sent each other‘s diplomats packing in response. Martial law was declared by Thailand in eight border provinces. Cambodia claims Thailand has used prohibited cluster bombs, while Thailand alleges Cambodia has bombarded civilian areas with long-range rockets.
Thailand‘s acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai has also hinted at Cambodian war crimes, while Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet has criticised Thailand for “unprovoked and deliberate attacks.
As charges mount and military deployments strengthen, observers are concerned the crisis could degenerate into a protracted struggle with disastrous humanitarian costs.
