A sharp escalation in fighting between Thai and Cambodian forces has killed at least 14 people and displaced over 100,000 civilians, according to Thai authorities. The violence- involving small arms, rockets, artillery, and airstrikes- erupted Thursday and has been escalating along the long-disputed border and continued into Friday, marking the most serious confrontation between the two Southeast Asian neighbours in over a decade, as reported by AP.Mass displacement and casualties amid cross-border bombardmentThe Thai Interior Ministry said the fighting had affected four provinces and ordered evacuations of civilians living within 50 kilometres of the border. The interior ministry said that one lakh six hundred seventy-two people from four border provinces were moved to shelters, while the health ministry announced that the death toll rose to fourteen.In Oddar Meanchey province, Cambodian families streamed away from the border, many transporting their belongings on homemade tractors before settling in makeshift camps. “Suddenly I heard a loud noise,” said 45-year-old mother of four, Tep Savouen as quoted by AP. “My son told me it might be thunder and I thought ‘Is it thunder or is it loud, more like a gun?’ At that time I was very scared.”In Bangkok, Public Health Minister Somsak Thepsuthin confirmed 14 deaths, including 13 civilians and one soldier, along with 46 injuries. He condemned what he described as Cambodian attacks on civilians and a hospital: “We urge the Cambodian government to immediately halt these war criminal actions, and return to respecting the principles of peaceful coexistence.”Read more: Thailand-Cambodia clash intensifies with rocket strikes- What triggered it? How a Hindu temple is at the centre of itBlame game and diplomatic breakdownThe violence followed a landmine blast Wednesday that wounded five Thai soldiers — an incident that triggered the expulsion of ambassadors by both sides and a sharp diplomatic fallout. Thai officials accused Cambodia of laying new Russian-made mines, while Cambodia dismissed the claims as “baseless accusations”, blaming leftover ordnance from past conflicts.On Thursday, clashes flared in at least six areas along the border, including near the ancient Ta Muen Thom temple. Thai F-16 fighter jets conducted airstrikes in response to what the government said were Cambodian truck-mounted rockets. “It was an act of self-defense,” Thai Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nikorndej Balankura stated.Cambodia’s Defense Ministry claimed the airstrikes hit a road near Preah Vihear, a UNESCO World Heritage site, and vowed legal action. “The temple was declared a World Heritage site by UNESCO… and is a ‘historical legacy of the Cambodian people,’” Cambodia’s Culture Ministry said.Defense Ministry spokesperson Lt. Gen. Maly Socheata said Cambodia had “no choice but to defend its territory against Thai threats,” insisting the attacks were “focused on the military places, not on any other place.”International alarm and domestic falloutThe conflict drew swift international concern. UN Secretary-General António Guterres urged both sides “to exercise maximum restraint and address any issues through dialogue,” according to deputy spokesperson Farhan Haq. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet requested an emergency UN Security Council session, which was held behind closed doors in New York on Friday.Thailand sealed all land border crossings and advised its citizens to leave Cambodia. All seven Thai airlines offered to help repatriate Thai nationals.Meanwhile, the conflict has added pressure to Thailand’s domestic politics. Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra was suspended on July 1 amid an ethics probe linked to her handling of a phone call with Cambodia’s former leader Hun Sen. Thailand’s acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai is now leading the response, warning Cambodia against further aggression.
