Thailand continues to wage war on Cambodia, ordering air, artillery and naval strikes on multiple border provinces with deadly effect
Thailand continues to wage war on Cambodia, ordering air, artillery and naval strikes on multiple border provinces with deadly effect
Oddar Meanchey/Preah Vihear provinces – At least nine people, including a baby, have been killed since Thailand launched a full-scale assault on Cambodia on Sunday. The attacks have spread from Preah Vihear to Oddar Meanchey, Banteay Meanchey, Battambang, Pursat, and Koh Kong provinces along the 800-kilometre shared border.
As the clashes between Cambodia and Thailand entered the fourth day yesterday, Bangkok intensified bombardment of populated areas, causing mass casualties, widespread destruction and civilian displacement, heightening fears of a full-blown war.
Thailand, a nation of 71.7 million with a substantial and well-equipped military, has seen fit to exercise its military might over its smaller neighbour of about 17 million people. Cambodian officials said the attacks are to seize territories divided during the French colonial era, based on maps unilaterally drawn up by Thailand.
Authorities say tens of thousands of residents have fled frontline areas, while the Cambodian military has responded by invoking its right to self-defence.
Samraong City, the capital of Oddar Meanchey province located roughly 60 kilometres from the border, came under repeated attacks, with airstrikes and shelling reported since Tuesday.
O’Beichoan, a border town in Banteay Meanchey province, has also been hit by a Thai army offensive.
Several government buildings at the Boeng Trakuon Border Checkpoint in Banteay Meanchey and the Thmar Da Border Checkpoint in Pursat sustained heavy damage. Photographs released by the Thai side show army tanks deployed near the government buildings at Boeng Trakuon Border Checkpoint, despite the presence of a permanent border marker—evidence, Cambodian officials said, of Thailand’s invasion of Cambodian territory.
The US, EU, and UN have called for an immediate halt to the fighting which has caused bombardment of populated areas and triggered a rapidly escalating humanitarian crisis.
Eat Sophea, Permanent Secretary of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, briefed heads and representatives of 33 diplomatic missions and UN agencies in Phnom Penh on the events leading up to Thailand’s December 7 offensive.
She cited the November 10 landmine incident, continued Thai encroachment activities, the November 12 shooting of civilians in Prey Chan village in Banteay Meanchey, and Thailand’s failure to honour the October 26 Kuala Lumpur Joint Declaration, which it abandoned over unsubstantiated new landmine allegations against Cambodia.
She deplored Thailand’s armed offensive using “heavy weapons, including tanks, artillery, mortars, fighter jets and toxic smoke against multiple Cambodian positions, causing several human casualties and extensive destruction of homes, public infrastructure, and protected national heritage monuments.”
Senate President Hun Sen yesterday issued a social media statement calling on the nation to stand firmly behind frontline troops and support civilians displaced by continued Thai incursions along the border.
In his message, Mr Hun Sen conveyed “concern and encouragement” to all branches of the armed forces currently deployed to defend Cambodia’s territorial integrity. He praised soldiers for “standing bravely and steadfastly” against what he described as “land-invading aggressors”.
He expressed solidarity with families who have fled their homes because of the fighting. He urged the public to share in their hardship and provide as much support as possible. “Please join in the difficulties faced by our brothers and sisters who have escaped because of the aggressors,” he wrote.
He thanked philanthropists and donors who have contributed supplies and funds through the government or who have delivered assistance directly to affected communities and frontline units. He noted that public generosity has played a crucial role in sustaining both troops and displaced civilians.
He highlighted a message from a soldier on the battlefield who asked for ambok—pounded roasted rice— saying it was more suitable than instant noodles. He said the request was reasonable and that while donations of noodles would continue, more ambok should also be provided.
“Let our forces eat ambok made from the new rice harvest as they fight back against the invaders,” Mr Hun Sen wrote, calling for continued unity and resilience as border tensions with Thailand persist.
Cambodia is collecting evidence to file a case with the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague in response to what it describes as Thailand’s armed aggression along the border, a senior government official said on December 10.
The official told Khmer Times that Thailand’s attacks on Cambodia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity have caused extensive destruction and heavy civilian casualties, with Thai forces using “all types of heavy weapons”, including fighter aircraft that dropped bombs on civilian areas inside Cambodian territory. The official said Cambodia, as a state party to the ICC, is preparing the documentation and evidence to bring the case before the court.
Cambodian Defence officials said Thai military units suffered heavy casualties during the border clashes, rejecting as “psychological warfare” a Thai Second Army Region report that claimed 61 Cambodian soldiers were killed on December 9. A senior Cambodian military official told Khmer Times that Thai forces had taken “significant losses,” saying: “A few hundred Thai soldiers were killed and more than a thousand injured,” though he did not provide specific figures.
He criticised the Thai military for releasing what he described as distorted information. “Don’t lie to your own people and don’t forget to collect your soldiers’ corpses,” he said. The official reiterated that Cambodia has not violated Thai territory and is acting strictly in defence of its sovereignty and its people. “Cambodia does not invade any country’s territory, but acts in self-defence to protect our land and innocent civilians,” he said.
As of yesterday, nine civilians, including an infant, have been killed and 46 others injured.
More than 127,000 civilians have been displaced as Thai military attacks escalate across Cambodia’s Military Region 4 and Military Region 5, according to data released yesterday.
Authorities report that 37,115 families have fled their homes in Oddar Meanchey, Preah Vihear, Banteay Meanchey, Pursat, Battambang and Siem Reap provinces, with the largest waves of refugees coming from the frontline provinces of Oddar Meanchey, Preah Vihear and Banteay Meanchey.
Oddar Meanchey recorded 9,768 displaced families, representing nearly 33,800 people, while Preah Vihear registered 6,133 families of 21,600 people. In Banteay Meanchey, 10,255 families of 36,200 people have fled shelling and airstrikes.
Smaller but significant movements include 900 families in Pursat and 101 in Battambang. Siem Reap province has also received nearly 10,000 families, totaling more than 31,800 people, mostly arriving from conflict-hit border districts.
Officials describe the sudden mass displacement as one of the largest humanitarian emergencies in recent years, with shelters, pagodas and temporary sites struggling to accommodate the continuous arrival of families who fled with minimal belongings.
The Ministry of National Defence reported a major escalation of Thai military attacks along the Cambodia-Thailand border yesterday, with coordinated assaults occurring across multiple locations between 5.20am. and 10.13am.
According to the ministry, Thai forces launched airstrikes, heavy artillery fire and infantry incursions, targeting areas around Ta Moan Temple, An Ses, Khna Temple, Ta Krabey Temple, Thmar Don, Bos Sbou–Choam Te, Phnom Khmorch, Preah Vihear Temple, Veal Entry and Chamkar Chek.
US President Donald Trump said he would call the leaders of Cambodia and Thailand, following the renewed outbreak of armed conflict.
The planned discussions were reported by Bloomberg yesterday morning. Trump said the calls are scheduled to take place on Wednesday US time to urge both sides to end hostilities.
“I will speak by phone with the leaders of both countries. I will open a dialogue to stop the war between the two nations,” Trump said.
At a rally in Pennsylvania, Trump said: “I hate to say this one, named Cambodia-Thailand, and it started up today and tomorrow I’ll have to make a phone call. Who else could say, ‘I’m going to make a phone call and stop a war of two very powerful countries, Thailand and Cambodia.’ They’re going at it again, but I’ll do it. So we’re making peace through strength. That’s what we’re doing.”
Anutin yesterday said Trump had not reached out to Thailand regarding a ceasefire. He added that his government is open to dialogue, but any engagement must proceed through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in accordance with protocol.
Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim held telephone conversations with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet and Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul on Tuesday.
“I appreciate the openness and willingness of the leaders of both countries to continue negotiations to ease tensions and avoid misunderstandings that could worsen the situation,” Anwar said.
While no resolution has been reached, continued diplomatic efforts can help ensure that no further serious incidents occur at this critical time. Anwar added that Malaysia will continue to support negotiations, solutions based on international law and regional cooperation to maintain stability and security in the region.
A number of evacuee camps have been set up in a number of Pagodas, between 60 and 100 km from the border, where there are humanitarian shortages and residents have appealed to the government for food and supplies.
Tbaeng Meanchey Deputy Governor You Vibol, who manages an evacuation site in Preah Vihear, said many residents fleeing the conflict zone arrived with almost nothing, driven by panic as attacks escalated along the border.
In an interview at the Wat Poeng Preah Kou safe centre in Preah Vihear province, Vibol said many evacuees fled in fear before dawn on December 8.
“Since 4am on December 8, people have been running in a panic. Some did not even bring clothes. They came with nothing — only themselves and a few belongings. They were extremely frightened. Some arrived using available transport, others came on foot. When they reached the centre, they had almost nothing and lacked many necessities,” he said.
Heng Sophea, 47, fled her home on December 8 with her soldier husband, though he returned to the frontline later the same day. Sophea, a resident of Rong Roeung 1 village, Toek Kraham commune, Choam Khsan district in Preah Vihear province, recalled the fear that forced her family to flee.
“We were attending a funeral when an aircraft flew over my head and the sound of shelling shook the ground,” she said. “I came here with my three children. We fear for our safety as the aggressors continue indiscriminate shelling, including in my village.”
Footage recorded by Thai soldiers shows the destruction of the ancient temple after repeated failed attempts to illegally seize the site on Tuesday, sparking widespread public outrage and condemnation across Cambodia.
Ta Krabey Temple, an 11th-century sanctuary built during the reigns of Kings Suryavarman I and Udayadityavarman II, has stood for nearly a millennium along the Dangrek mountain range — an enduring testament to the architectural mastery, spiritual devotion and cultural sophistication of the Khmer Empire.
Long hidden within dense forest, Ta Krabey was known only to nearby Cambodian communities for generations. French scholars documented the site in the early 1900s, but it remained a remote spiritual sanctuary visited, venerated and preserved almost exclusively by local Cambodians.
The Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts condemned renewed violence in the Preah Vihear Temple area after artillery shells struck the World Heritage site.
The ministry said the attacks by Thai forces damaged parts of the temple, along with conservation and restoration facilities operated under Cambodia–India cooperation, as well as other supporting infrastructure. Meanwhile, Thai local media circulated footage appearing to show Thai troops “celebrating” the destruction of the temple.
According to the Ministry, the repeated incidents have severely disrupted conservation work, forcing the evacuation of officials, guards and workers from the Preah Vihear National Authority, as well as residents living nearby.
The ministry accused Thailand of violating the Joint Statement on the Peace Agreement signed on October 26 in Kuala Lumpur, an accord mediated and witnessed by Trump and Anwar.
Cambodia has called on Thailand to halt all military actions and respect the ceasefire and its obligations under international law. The ministry also urged the international community to condemn what it described as continued Thai aggression against Cambodia’s territorial integrity and the damage to a protected World Heritage site—acts it says breach both the 1972 World Heritage Convention and the 1954 Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict.
However, Kong Puthika, Director-General of Cambodia’s National Authority for Preah Vihear, told Khmer Times in an interview that the staff and guards at the temple are safe.
Puthika said that more than 200 officials, staff and guards working at Preah Vihear Temple had been safely evacuated to shelters prepared by provincial authorities.
He explained that since the Thai military incursion in July, all personnel had been authorised to work only in the lower section of the temple, allowing for an immediate evacuation during the latest attack. Puthika said authorities have not yet been able to assess the full extent of the damage to the temple due to the ongoing security situation, but confirmed heavy damage since the first assault in July.
He condemned the actions of Thai troops for launching fresh attacks on Preah Vihear Temple—a UNESCO World Heritage Site—as well as other ancient Khmer temples. He added that the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts has already reported the incident—including the dropping of munitions on the temple—to the International Coordinating Committee for Preah Vihear, a UNESCO-backed body formed in 2014 to oversee the conservation, restoration and management of the temple, as well as to the co-chairs of the committee, China and India, and other institutions.
-Khmer Times-
Photo:
1-Thai soldiers, supported by a Stryker armoured vehicle, plant the Thai flag and install concertina wire on Cambodian territory. Thailand Army Military Force
2-Civilians killed and injured by Thai military shells fired in Preah Vihear, Oddar Meanchey and Banteay Meanchey provinces. Ministry of Information
3-Evacuees collect water for cooking and washing at a displacement camp. KT/Chor Sokunthea
4-Smoke rises after a Thai fighter jet drops a laser-guided bomb on Samrong City in Oddar Meanchey province. Thailand Army Military Force
