At least one Thai soldier has died and a dozen people have been injured in clashes in recent hours on the border between Thailand and Cambodia, in an escalation of the historic territorial conflict in which thousands of people are being evacuated on both sides of the divide.
Thai Army spokesman Winthai Suvaree confirmed in a televised statement that seven people were injured in the country in attacks he attributed to Cambodian soldiers, and he said this number could rise “as reports are updated.”
Likewise, he indicated that they have accelerated the eviction of civilians in five border provinces, in which the Ministry of Education also ordered the closure of 641 schools today to “preserve the safety of students and teachers.”
The Thai armed forces launched air strikes against Cambodia today, after accusing the neighboring country of numerous attacks in the border area, about 820 kilometers, since Sunday.
On the Cambodian side, the spokesperson for that country’s Army, Maly Socheata, reiterated today that Thailand fired first and that these attacks have left people injured, houses burned and people evacuated from their homes, without specifying numbers in this regard.
For his part, the deputy governor of the Cambodian province of Oddar Meanchey, Meth Meas Pheakdey, reported through Facebook that three civilians were injured in that region due to “Thai artillery shelling.”
Videos circulate on social networks showing hundreds of people leaving the conflict zone in both countries, some walking or aboard vehicles.
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim urged the parties to “exercise maximum restraint, keep communication channels open and make full use of existing mechanisms” to de-escalate clashes.
“Malaysia is willing to support measures that contribute to restoring calm and avoiding new incidents,” the president, who this year has mediated for a peaceful resolution of this conflict as president of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), said on Facebook.
While the leader of Thailand, Anutin Charnvirakul, has suspended a trip to the areas affected by the floods to address the clashes, the Prime Minister of Cambodia, Hun Manet, will command “the resistance to the Thai invasion”, according to his father, the historic leader Hun Sen.
The current clashes have just effectively broken the peace agreement sealed by Thailand and Cambodia last October in Malaysia, with the mediation of US President Donald Trump.
Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul temporarily suspended the peace agreement in mid-November after an exchange of fire on the border, following an incident with land mines.
Bangkok and Phnom Penh maintain a historical territorial dispute over the sovereignty of some territories on their border, mapped by France in 1907, when Cambodia was its colony.
