Here’s what you need to know about the growing Thailand/Cambodia border spat. Violent confrontations between military and civilians then quickly broke out in several areas. The resurgence of hostilities follows months of escalating tensions, particularly after a Cambodian soldier was killed in a previous encounter between the two nations’ forces in May.
Those clashes that started early on Thursday quickly became fierce, with small arms fire rapidly escalating to artillery and rocket exchanges. Thailand’s military aggressively retaliated, sending F-16 fighter jets to bomb what Thailand claimed were Cambodian military targets. The conflict has dramatically impacted Thailand’s Ubon Ratchathani and Surin provinces. The Thai army affirmed that they continued to carry out operations to destroy unexploded explosives and recover corpses in the Kantharalak district.
Thailand’s military force is almost 361,000 active-duty personnel, comfortably dwarfing Cambodia’s military capacity. The violence has contributed to at least 14 deaths in Thailand so far. The vast majority of the casualties are civilians. In Cambodia, one death has been confirmed. In the meantime, five others have been heavily wounded, according to Met Measpheakdey, spokesman of Oddar Meanchey province.
In addition to the destruction of heritage, the recent fighting has created a growing humanitarian crisis, forcing more than 4,000 Cambodians along that border to flee their homes. An official from Oddar Meanchey province confirmed this alarming statistic, highlighting the growing impact of the conflict on local communities.
And the violence continues — five Thai soldiers were injured by a landmine explosion on Wednesday, forcing an increase of Thailand’s retaliation. This incident has led to a surge of military presence and activity along the border. This incident seems to have served as a flashpoint for the resumption of fighting.
There has been a growing international concern for the situation. Japan and the United States have called on Thailand and Cambodia to lower tensions in order to avoid an escalation of violence. The border dispute, which runs 500 miles (800 kilometers), goes back to when Cambodia was ruled by the French. This recurring source of friction has always proved to be a source of bilateral discord.
The Thai military has been a perennial force and key player in Thailand’s political landscape. It has violently taken power via coup after coup since its inception. Unfortunately, this political backdrop will make finding a peaceful resolution to the ongoing hostilities that much harder.
