Violent clashes erupted on Thursday morning in the disputed border region near Prasat Ta Muen Thom Temple in Cambodia’s Oddar Meanchey province, leaving at least four Thai civilians dead and two Thai soldiers injured.
Both Thailand and Cambodia have accused each other of initiating the conflict, with each nation’s military claiming the other fired first.
Thailand deployed an F-16 fighter jet to bomb a Cambodian military target, while Cambodia reported Thai shelling in Oddar Meanchey and Preah Vihear provinces.
The conflict has displaced approximately 40,000 Thai civilians from 86 villages in Surin province, who have been evacuated to safer areas.
In Thailand’s Sisaket province, Cambodian artillery shelling struck a petrol station in Ban Phue, killing three civilians, according to Thai PBS.
Thai residents, including children and the elderly, have sought refuge in concrete bomb shelters fortified with sandbags and car tires in Surin province.
Both nations’ foreign ministries issued statements condemning each other’s actions as violations of international law and regional stability.
Thailand’s Foreign Ministry accused Cambodia of targeting civilian areas, including a hospital, and warned of intensified self-defense measures if attacks continue.
China has advised its citizens to avoid the Cambodia-Thailand border, citing escalating violence, while Thailand’s embassy in Phnom Penh urged its nationals to leave Cambodia promptly.