Border Unrest Drives Mass Displacement in Thailand, Cambodia

(MENAFN) Hostilities between Thailand and Cambodia persisted into a fourth consecutive day on Thursday, prompting additional residents to abandon frontier districts and raising the overall fatality count to 16. Cambodia’s Senior Minister General Kun Kim stated that between 130,000 and 150,000 people are now residing in provisional shelters, as reported by a media outlet.

According to a news agency, Cambodia’s Defense Ministry asserted that Thai units “continued to attack” border zones and cultural landmarks with “heavy weapons as well as F-16 fighter jets.”

Meanwhile, Cambodia’s Interior Ministry indicated that 10 civilians have lost their lives and roughly 60 more have been hurt since Monday.

Phnom Penh also submitted a letter to the UN Security Council on Wednesday, alleging that Thailand had engaged in “unprovoked, unlawful, and escalating acts of armed aggression.”

For its part, the Royal Thai Army contended that Cambodian troops have executed “continuous attacks along the Thai–Cambodian border since Dec. 7, firing small arms and heavy weapons into Thai territory, including civilian areas and medical facilities,” according to a media outlet.

In reply to Cambodia’s claims involving harm to civilians and cultural heritage, the Thai Army stated that its intelligence suggested “Cambodian forces have been placing military positions inside civilian communities, casino buildings, and historic sites, effectively using them as shields,” as the outlet reported.

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