Thailand-Cambodia Clashes Enter 2nd Day: More than 100,000 Displaced

By Staff, Agencies

Thailand and Cambodia exchanged fire along their disputed border for a second day on Friday, officials from both countries said, with more than a dozen people reported killed and more than 100,000 civilians evacuated.

Tensions between the Southeast Asian neighbors have been boiling for months over disputed sections of their 500-mile land border, demarcated partly by Cambodia’s former colonial ruler France, and which runs near several archaeologically significant religious sites that both countries claim.

Clashes broke out at 4:30 a.m. local time on Friday after Cambodia initiated firing, using small arms and heavy weapons, Col. Richa Sooksuwanon, the deputy spokesperson for the Thai army, announced. The Thai army responded with artillery fire, he said.

Thursday’s clashes saw exchanges of small arms and rocket fire between Thailand – a United States treaty ally – and its smaller neighbor Cambodia.

Thailand scrambled F-16 jets and bombed what it said were military targets inside Cambodia.

Both countries also have close ties with China, which, along with the US, has called for de-escalation.

An undated video shared by the Thai army showed drones dropping bombs on what it said were several military targets inside Cambodia. Smoke and flames erupted after the sites – which appear to be in forested areas – were hit. CNN has not been able to verify the video.

And in Cambodia, at least one person has been killed and five wounded, according to Met Measpheakdey, a spokesperson from Oddar Meanchey province, which borders Thailand’s Buri Ram, Surin and Si Saket provinces. He added that as of Friday morning, tensions were “still heated.”

“The exchange of fighting… is still happening,” he said.

Cambodian officials accused the Thai military of using cluster munitions at two locations early Friday.

More than 4,000 people in Cambodia have been displaced from their homes near the border, the Associated Press reported on Friday, citing another official from Oddar Meanchey.

Videos from Oddar Meanchey on Thursday showed villagers fleeing in the dead of night, packing their belongings into vehicles and sleeping under tarps.

As of Thursday night, more than 100,000 Thai residents had evacuated to temporary shelters, according to the Ministry of Interior. Footage from Surin province showed evacuees sheltering in a university, resting on mats on the floor and eating out of plastic containers.