BANGKOK: Fighting between Thailand and Cambodia entered its third day on Saturday (July 26), with a new front opening further south in Thailand's Trat province, newspaper Khaosod reported, citing military sources.
Both sides again accused each other of initiating fire, as tensions between the South-East Asian neighbours continued to escalate. The Thai Navy is now also involved in the conflict.
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Long-standing tensions between the two countries flared on Thursday, when exchanges of fire broke out along the border. In response, the Thai military said it had deployed fighter jets against Cambodian positions.
Cambodia responded with artillery fire, including on residential areas. It remains unclear who fired first.
On Friday evening, Thailand imposed martial law in eight districts in the provinces of Trat and Chanthaburi, citing "ongoing threats to national security" posed by Cambodia.
The Foreign Ministry in Bangkok said martial law would allow the military to carry out all necessary operations to maintain peace and order.
In Cambodia, 13 people have been killed so far, including eight civilians, the Phnom Penh Post reported, citing Phnom Penh's Defence Ministry. More than 70 people have been injured, 50 of them civilians, according to the newspaper.
In Thailand, government figures put the death toll at 14, including 13 civilians, with more than 60 people injured, some seriously.
The Thai government said around 130,000 people are currently fleeing the conflict zones.
Amid the escalating violence, thousands of Cambodian migrant workers in Thailand are reportedly preparing to return home.
According to Thai broadcaster PBS, large crowds - possibly tens of thousands - have applied to cross the border at Ban Laem in Chanthaburi.
Social media posts described the movement as a "mass exodus," with many saying they no longer felt safe staying in Thailand.
According to the Cambodian government, more than 1.2 million Cambodians were living and working in Thailand in 2024. Images circulating online showed groups of people arriving at the border with their belongings.
Cambodia on Friday called for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire.
"Cambodia asked for an immediate ceasefire - unconditionally - and we also call for the peaceful solution of the dispute," Cambodia's ambassador to the UN, Chhea Keo, said following a meeting of the UN Security Council in New York.
Keo dismissed Bangkok's accusations that Cambodia had attacked, pointing out that Cambodia's army is only a third the size of Thailand's. He also said that Cambodia lacks a fully equipped air force.
Thai ambassador to the UN, Cherdchai Chaivaivid, meanwhile, called on Cambodia to immediately cease hostilities in order to open a path to dialogue. He described the escalation as an "illegal and arbitrary act of aggression" but added that the two countries are close neighbours and the violence must end.
Thailand and Cambodia have disputed sections of their more than 800-kilometre border for decades. The conflict centres on the temple of Prasat Preah Vihear, a Unesco World Heritage site that both countries claim. - dpa
