Over 10 killed in Thailand–Cambodia border clashes Updated

At least eleven civilians and one soldier have been killed in Thailand following Cambodian attacks along the two countries’ disputed border, Thai authorities said on July 24.

The country’s Minister of Public Health, Somsak Thepsuthin, confirmed the fatalities, citing Cambodian shelling as the cause of the civilian casualties, Caliber.Az reports per foreign media.

The escalation marks one of the deadliest days since tensions reignited in recent weeks.

Thepsuthin strongly condemned Cambodia’s actions, which he claimed included a strike on a Thai hospital.

He labelled the assault a potential war crime and called on Phnom Penh to “immediately cease its acts of violence.”

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On July 24, tensions along the Thailand–Cambodia border sharply escalated, with both sides reporting heavy exchanges of gunfire and Thai airstrikes targeting Cambodian military positions. 

The clashes mark the latest and most serious flare-up in a long-running territorial dispute rooted in colonial-era border demarcations, Caliber.Az reports, citing foreign media.

According to the Thai military, airstrikes were conducted on two Cambodian military targets after Thai troops came under attack in Surin province in northeastern Thailand. Cambodia accused Thailand of initiating the assault, condemning the strikes as “reckless and brutal military aggression” that damaged local infrastructure.

The fighting centred on the disputed border zone near historic temple sites, including the Ta Moan Thom area. The violence has already resulted in at least two civilian deaths and multiple injuries.

A Thai district official confirmed that two civilians were killed and two injured due to Cambodian shelling, while the Thai military reported casualties among its soldiers, some wounded by recent landmine blasts. Thailand has accused Cambodia of planting new mines, a charge Phnom Penh denies, citing the legacy of unexploded ordnance from Cambodia’s civil war.

The scale of the clashes has prompted the evacuation of approximately 40,000 residents from Thailand’s Surin province and other border areas. Governors of four provinces—Surin, Buri Ram, Si Sa Ket, and Ubon Ratchathani—have ordered villagers to move to safe shelters.

The directive was issued under the guidance of Acting Prime Minister and Interior Minister Phumtham Wechayachai, who instructed relevant authorities to implement protection plans for communities near the frontline.

Fighting has also occurred near other locations along the border, including Prasat Ta Muen Thom and Prasat Ta Kwai in Surin, the Sai Taku crossing in Buri Ram’s Ban Kruat district, Kantharak district in Surin, and the Chong An Ma pass in Ubon Ratchathani’s Nam Yuen district.

In response to the ongoing crisis, Thai officials have urged neighbouring provinces such as Sa Kaeo, Chanthaburi, and Trat to prepare for possible evacuations.

Diplomatic relations between the two countries have deteriorated significantly in recent days. Earlier this week, Thailand recalled its ambassador from Phnom Penh and expelled the Cambodian envoy after a Thai soldier was severely injured by a landmine explosion, which Bangkok attributes to Cambodian forces. Cambodia rejects these accusations, further straining ties.

This latest conflict follows earlier incidents this year, including a fatal shooting of a Cambodian soldier in May and a recent political scandal involving a leaked phone call between Thailand’s Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra and Cambodia’s former leader Hun Sen.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet emphasised that while his government prefers a peaceful resolution, it “was left with no choice but to respond to armed aggression with armed forces.”

By Aghakazim Guliyev