Cambodia and Thailand Military Clashes Lead to Civilian Deaths
Noriko Watanabe, Kanako Mita, and Hiroshi Saito
Modern Tokyo Times
Military tensions between Cambodia and Thailand escalated over ongoing border disputes, resulting in the deaths of at least 12 civilians.
Both countries blamed each other for the clashes. In response, Thailand closed all border crossings, and both nations downgraded their diplomatic relations. The unrest, initially triggered by the death of a Cambodian soldier in May, continues to strain bilateral ties.
The BBC reports, “Cambodia has been accused of firing rockets into a Thai village and attacking a hospital, while Thailand has carried out air strikes on Cambodian military targets.”
The Thai armed forces confirmed that most of the casualties occurred in Si Sa Ket province, where six civilians were killed when gunfire erupted near a gas station.
AP News reports, “The Thai army said it launched airstrikes Thursday on ground military targets in Cambodia, while the Cambodian Defense Ministry said the Thai jets dropped bombs on a road near the ancient Preah Vihear temple.”
The spokesperson (Nikorndej Balankura) for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Thailand said, “The Royal Thai Government calls upon Cambodia to take responsibility for the incidents that have occurred, cease attacks against civilian and military targets, and stop all actions that violate Thailand’s sovereignty. The Royal Thai Government is prepared to intensify our self-defense measures if Cambodia persists in its armed attack and violations upon Thailand’s sovereignty in accordance with international law and principles.”
The acting Prime Minister of Thailand, Phumtham Wechayachai, said the situation between Thailand and Cambodia is very delicate. He said, “We have to be careful… We will follow international law.”
Prime Minister Hun Manet of Cambodia blamed Thailand for the crisis. He said, “We have no choice but to respond with armed force against armed aggression.”
In 1962, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) recognized Cambodian sovereignty over the temple area, a decision that remained a point of contention between Cambodia and Thailand for decades. Tensions escalated into military clashes in 2011, resulting in approximately 20 deaths.
In response, Cambodia returned to the ICJ seeking further clarification. In 2013, the court reaffirmed its original ruling—a decision that was met with discontent in Thailand.
The Prime Minister of Malaysia (Anwar Ibrahim) said, “The least we can expect from them is to just stand down and hopefully to try and enter into negotiations.”
It is hoped that Cambodia and Thailand will resolve the current crisis and work toward de-escalation.
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