Cambodia-Thailand Border Crisis: Civilian Death Toll Rises to Six Amid Renewed Clashes

The ministry said in a press release that the Thai army continued to fire at Cambodian forces and civilians throughout the night of Monday and early Tuesday, leaving two Cambodian civilians travelling on the national road dead.

It added that since 04:45 a.m. on Tuesday, the Thai army continued to attack Cambodia's Preah Vihear, Oddar Meanchey and Pursat provinces.

Less than two months after Thailand and Cambodia signed a joint peace declaration, violent border clashes broke out again, with artillery fire reported in several areas and residents in multiple provinces rushing to evacuate. Both sides accused the other of initiating the attack and confirmed casualties, Xinhua news agency reported.

On Monday, the Thai Army had said that it deployed fighter jets in response to Cambodian attacks that left two soldiers killed and four wounded. Meanwhile, a Cambodian defence spokesperson said Thai soldiers on Monday opened fire on Cambodian armed forces for the second straight day, adding that Cambodia did not fire back.

According to Thai Army Spokesperson Winthai Suvaree, the incident occurred at around 07:00 a.m. local time in the Chong Bok area of Nam Yuen District, where Thai soldiers operating in the area were attacked with "supporting fire weapons," resulting in the five casualties.

The deadly engagement followed an earlier clash in the nearby Chong An Ma area at around 05:05 a.m. local time, when Cambodian troops opened fire with small arms and indirect weapons, prompting the Thai side to respond under the rules of engagement, the Thai Army said in a statement.

In response to the casualties and what it termed a "direct threat to national security," the Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) confirmed it has commenced air operations targeting Cambodian military infrastructure.

"These developments prompted the use of air power to deter and reduce Cambodia's military capabilities to the minimum level necessary to safeguard national security and protect civilians," said RTAF Spokesperson Jackkrit Thammavichai.

On the same day, Cambodian Defence Ministry's Undersecretary of State and Spokesperson Lt. Gen. Maly Socheata said around 05:04 a.m. on Monday, the Thai military forces launched an attack on the Cambodian forces in An Ses area, Preah Vihear province.

"Subsequently, they continued firing multiple shots with tanks at Tamoan Thom temple, 5 Makara in the vicinity of Preah Vihear temple and Chomka Chek area," she added.

"It should be noted that this attack occurred after the Thai forces engaged in numerous provocative actions for many days, especially the incident yesterday (Sunday) at Prorlean Thmar area, with the objective of instigating confrontations," Socheata said.

She said Cambodia "did not retaliate at all during the two assaults" and continues to monitor the situation vigilantly and with utmost caution standing on the spirit of "respecting all previous agreements and resolving conflicts peacefully according to international law."

Additionally, Cambodia has informed the ASEAN Observer Team about this incident and plans to request the team to conduct an investigation into the matter, she said.

int/jk/

- IANS