Escalation of military exchanges could lead to ‘state of war’, Thailand’s acting PM Phumtham Wechayachai says.

At least 14 people have been killed in Thailand and another in Cambodia in fighting between Thai and Cambodian troops, authorities say, as more than 120,000 people living along both sides of their border flee the ongoing violence.

Deadly fighting continued for a second day on Friday as both countries traded heavy artillery and rocket fire in the bloodiest military confrontation between the two Southeast Asian neighbours in more than a decade.

“The situation has intensified and could escalate into a state of war,” acting Thai Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai told reporters.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet said he had backed a ceasefire proposal put forward by his Malaysian counterpart and chairperson of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Anwar Ibrahim, but added that Thailand withdrew its backing of the plan after initially agreeing to it.

In a Facebook post, Hun Manet described Thailand’s decision as “regrettable”.

“The key to resolving the current armed conflict between Thailand and Cambodia is the genuine willingness of the Thai side to accept a ceasefire,” Hun Manet said. There was no immediate reaction from Thailand.

Speaking to Al Jazeera earlier on Friday, a spokesman for the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Nikorndej Balankura, said while Thailand insists it has the tools to resolve the issue bilaterally, it has not ruled out future mediation by regional partners.

“Our doors have always been open to talks. … We are still waiting for positive reactions from the Cambodian side,” Nikorndej said.

Advertisement

On possible third-party mediation, he added: “It’s a bit too premature for me right now to say that we are ready for any mediation, … but if we are going to talk about anyone to step in and help, countries in ASEAN … would be best suited.”

A Thai military official said on Friday that attacks have been reported in 12 locations along the disputed border, up from six a day earlier, indicating a widening of the fighting.

Rear Admiral Surasant Kongsiri, a military spokesperson, said during a news conference that Cambodia had continued to use heavy weapons.

Meanwhile, Thailand’s Ministry of Public Health reported at least 13 civilians and one soldier were killed in Thailand when fighting broke out on Thursday.

A local official in Cambodia’s Oddar Meanchey border province told the Reuters news agency that one person was killed and five wounded in Thai attacks.

More than 120,000 displaced

Quoting officials in Cambodia’s Preah Vihear province, the Khmer Times newspaper said about 20,000 residents have evacuated from the country’s northern border with Thailand.

Meanwhile, Thailand has moved 100,672 people from four provinces bordering Cambodia to shelters, Thailand’s Ministry of Interior was cited as saying by the AFP news agency. It has also opened more than 300 evacuation centres, according to officials.

Thailand also declared martial law on Friday in eight districts along the border, effective immediately.

Reporting earlier from Surin province near the Cambodian border, Al Jazeera’s Tony Cheng said the government described the frontier as “very long and porous”, complicating efforts to track the movement of displaced people.

“It is very hard to see how many people are here in the evacuation centre … because there are people arriving all the time,” he said.

Thai authorities said they are meeting the immediate needs of those seeking refuge by providing food, water and medical care at the temporary shelters. However, local accounts painted a grim picture.

“Some of the older people that we have talked to said what they have seen in the last 48 hours – the fighting they’ve seen – has been the fiercest in this disputed area since the late 1970s when the Khmer Rouge had complete control of the other side of the border,” Cheng reported.

The violence, centred around a contested section of the Thai-Cambodian border, has prompted calls for calm from regional actors. “People are trying to talk down both sides, urging leaders to de-escalate,” Cheng added.

UN to hold emergency meeting

Diplomatic sources told AFP that the United Nations Security Council will hold an emergency meeting on Friday to discuss the border fighting.

Advertisement

On Thursday, Thailand said it scrambled an F-16 fighter jet to bomb targets in Cambodia, whose military said its forces launched long-range rockets towards civilian areas along the Thai border.

Both countries have blamed each other for starting the fighting.

The United States, a longtime treaty ally of Thailand, has called for an immediate end to the hostilities.

China, a close ally of Cambodia, said it was deeply concerned about the conflict and hoped both countries “will properly solve their dispute through dialogue and consultation”.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Beijing is ready to play a constructive role in helping de-escalate tensions.

“The root cause of this issue lies in the lingering consequences left by Western colonialists in the past, and it now needs to be faced calmly and handled properly,” he said during a meeting with ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn in Beijing, according to a statement from the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The territorial dispute between the two neighbours largely stems from a 1907 map drawn under French colonial rule, which was used to demarcate Cambodia’s boundary with Thailand.

Cambodia uses the map to support its claims while Thailand argues that the map is inaccurate.

Conflict between the two countries has escalated, so here is all the up to date information

Thailand and Cambodia attract millions of visitors every year respectively, but the two countries have had border disputes bubbling under the service for more than 100 years.

While historically conflict has been intermittent, relations deteriorated severely this week with gunfire being exchanged in a handful of disputed areas, and multiple civilian deaths have been reported as a result.

It seems that the border regions are the only ones affected right now, but this is evidently worrying news if you have plans to travel to either country soon. So, we’ve rounded up everything you need to know about the conflict between Thailand and Cambodia as it continues to unfold, and how it might affect your travel plans.

What’s happening between Thailand and Cambodia?

Relations between two countries have been tense since a soldier was killed during gunfire over a disputed area in late May, but things deteriorated severely yesterday (Thursday July 24) with more fire exchanged over several different border zones after Thailand accused Cambodia of laying landmines in disputed areas.

The affected areas reported are: along Thailand’s Surin province and Cambodia’s Oddar Meanchey (near the ancient Prasat Ta Moan Thom temple) and near Thailand’s Ubon Ratchathani and Cambodia’s Preah Vihear province (which is close to the Prasat Ta Krabey site).

The Independent reports that according to the Thai health ministry, 14 civilians and a soldier have been killed and 46 people have been injured.

Is it safe to travel?

Since the exchange of fire began, Thailand has ordered the closure of its entire 817km border with Cambodia, and several countries, including Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, China, Hong Kong, the US, and the UK, have warned against travelling to the areas nearby.

However, travel to the rest of each country seems unaffected, and it is exclusively the border area which is advised against travelling to.

Are flights still running to Thailand and Cambodia?

At the time of writing, flights to both Thailand and Cambodia from major destinations such as Bangkok, Phnom Penh and Siem Reap are operating normally, but if you plan to travel keep a keen eye on your flights status.

What’s the latest UK Foreign Office travel advice?

Updated advice on the travel pages for both Thailand and Cambodia read: ‘There are reports of fighting including rocket and artillery fire on 24 July between Thailand and Cambodia at several locations along the border. Casualties have been reported, as well as evacuations of areas close to the border. Land borders/crossings between Thailand and Cambodia have been suspended. Some tourist destinations in border areas such as the Khao Phra Wihan/Preah Vihear temple, the Ta Kwai/Ta Krabey temple and the Ta Muen Thom/Tamone Thom temple are currently closed. There are also unexploded landmines in the border area. We advise against all but essential travel to the affected border areas.’

Specifically, travellers are told to avoid all but essential travel to within 50km of the border, and reminded that ignoring this advice will invalidate their travel insurance.

Can I get a refund if I choose not to travel because of the conflict?

Because the FCDO has not warned against all travel to Thailand and Cambodia (only against essential travel to within 50km of the border areas) it’s unlikely you will be able to cancel your trip for a refund. The conditions for cancelling will depend on your provider, so the best thing to do if you’re keen to avoid travelling is contact them directly.

When was the last conflict between Thailand and Cambodia?

The roots of this conflict technically date back more than a century, when the borders of each country were drawn after the French occupation of Cambodia. Back in 2008, things got heated when Cambodia tried to register an eleventh century temple, which is located within a disputed zone, as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

There have been intermittent clashes over the years since, but it was in May that a Cambodian soldier was killed that tensions resurfaced.

Stay in the loop: sign up to our free Time Out Travel newsletter for all the latest travel news and best stuff happening across the world.

Tensions along the disputed Thai-Cambodian border are flaring once again, with both sides exchanging blame for the escalation. The decades-old conflict reaches back to the colonial era.

On Thursday morning, deadly fighting broke out between Thai and Cambodian troops along their disputed border. Authorities have confirmed that at least 12 people, most of them Thai civilians, were killed in the crossfire.

Thailand has blamed Cambodia for killing Thai citizens, while Cambodia has blamed Thailand for bombing Cambodian targets with fighter jets. Neither claim could be independently verified at the time this article was published.

Videos circulating online show explosions and gunfire in the disputed area. Many who live along the contested border have sought shelter.

Thai-Cambodia border dispute turns deadly To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video

Why is the conflict escalating now?

While it’s still unclear what tipped the scales in this most recent escalation, tensions between both nations have been rising noticeably in recent months. In late May, Thai armed forces killed a Cambodian soldier in an exchange of fire that ensued as his unit was digging trenches along the disputed border. Since then, both counties have sent reinforcements to the area

On Wednesday, Thailand said it was withdrawing its ambassador from Phnom Penh and expelling Cambodia’s ambassador. The kingdom also closed multiple border crossings to Cambodia.

This came after land mines reportedly wounded a series of Thai soldiers in several incidents along the contested border region. Thai authorities claimed the mines had been newly laid along paths that were supposed to be safe.

Thailand-Cambodia border spat revives old fears for locals To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video

What are they fighting over?

The border dispute between Thailand and Cambodia is decades old. Both countries share a 800-kilometer (500-mile) border which stretches across regions that are sparsely inhabited. It is difficult to access in parts, and has been insufficiently charted in the past.

Many demarcations are remnants from colonial times. France occupied Cambodia from 1863 until the nation gained its independence in 1953, while Thailand has remained an independent kingdom.

During this near-century of French occupation, Cambodia and Thailand mutually ceded territory multiple times, changing the boundary line. And in 1907, France pressured Thailand, then Siam, to sign a treaty adjusting its border. Thailand later went on to contest this treaty.

There are also several temples near the Thai-Cambodian border to which both countries lay claim — most notably, the historic Preah Vihear temple, a 1,000-year-old Hindu site built by the Khmer Empire. The temple lies in the so-called Emerald Triangle.

Both Cambodia and Thailand claimed ownership and the case went to court, where in 1962, the International Court of Justice in The Hague ruled that the temple was on Cambodian territory. In 2008, as UNESCO was moving to declare it a World Heritage Site, the old dispute over the temple reignited. Several people were killed as fire was exchanged at the border. When Cambodia turned to the IJC once more in 2011, the ruling was again in Cambodia’s favor.

Can anyone mediate?

In 2000, Thailand and Cambodia formed a Joint Border Commission to peacefully resolve border disputes. But the body has not registered much success to date.

In February, Cambodia turned to the ICJ for a third time in a letter “requesting adjudication of the long-standing border disputes” with Thailand.

The International Court of Justice has already ruled twice in Cambodia’s favor Image: IMAGO/ANP

Meanwhile, Thailand appears to prefer bilateral solutions — which, given recent escalations, appear far away for now.

“Cambodia wants to bring the current case before the ICJ, because in the past, its appeals to the court were successful,” Zachary Abuza, an expert on the region at the independent think tank Lowy Institute, told DW in June.

“Thailand wants to use its economic might, and believes it has a significant economic advantage.”

How mutually dependent are both countries?

Thailand is more industrialized that its southeastern neighbor, with a gross domestic product that is about 12 times as high. While Thailand exports electronics, automobiles and foodstuffs, Cambodia’s industry relies mostly on the textile and agricultural industries. According to official statistics, some 500,000 Cambodian guest workers live in Thailand.

“Both have a lot to lose,” Tita Sanglee, a research fellow at Singapore’s ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, told DW. “Thailand is highly dependent on Cambodian laborers and exports a significant amount to Cambodia. Next to fuels, machines and drinks, many Thai exports are everyday necessities.”

Tensions between Thailand and Cambodia also involve Preah Vihear, a 1,000-year-old temple claimed by both nations. Here, Cambodian soldiers in the surrounding province are seen preparing ordnance on July 24 Image: STR/AFP

She added that both nations also rely on income from tourism, which is expected to scale back drastically should the conflict drag on.

What role does the governmental crisis in Thailand play?

The governments in Phnom Penh and Bangkok had actually kept close ties, not least thanks to good relations between former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and Cambodia’s former leader, Hun Sen.

In Cambodia, Hun Sen’s son, Hun Manet, took over the reins in 2023. But in Thailand, Thaksin Shinawatra’s daughter, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, was recently suspended over political scandal involving a leaked phone conversation in which she addressed the former Cambodian leader as “uncle” and criticized her own military commanders with regards to the shared border conflict.

Prior to this, conservative voices close to the military had sharply criticized Paetongtarn’s plans to engage in discussions with Cambodia over jointly exploring oil and gas fields in a shared contested maritime area in the Gulf of Thailand.

Thailand has also been struggling with a shrinking economy and high tariffs imposed by the US.

Thailand: How high is the risk of a coup? To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video

The prime minister was suspended by Thailand’s constitutional court in early July, and months could pass before a final ruling is handed down on the matter. Until then, Thailand’s political stability is likely to remain fragile.

The Thai military might be taking advantage of a situation in flux: In recent weeks, its rhetoric toward Cambodia has become noticeably sharper. And the English daily, Bangkok Post, has already openly discussed fears from the tourism branch that another military coup might be on the horizon.

This article was originally written in German.

The biggest impact on backpackers is the fact that border posts between the two countries are closed, including at stations far away from the conflict zone, making land crossings impossible for tourists.

What does the Foreign Office advise?

On July 24 the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) updated its advice to both Thailand and Cambodia, advising against all but essential travel to the contested border area between the two countries.

The Foreign Office says: “There are reports of fighting including rocket and artillery fire on 24 July between Cambodia and Thailand at several locations along the border. Casualties have been reported, as well as evacuations of areas close to the border.

“Land borders/crossings between Cambodia and Thailand have been suspended. Some tourist destinations in border areas such as the Preah Vihear/Khao Phra Wihan temple, the Ta Krabey/Ta Kwai temple and the Tamone Thom/Ta Muen Thom temple are currently closed.”There are also unexploded landmines in the border area.”

The FCDO now advises British holidaymakers to avoid certain areas, unless essential. In Thailand, the FCDO advises against travel within 50km of the border from Cambodia in the provinces of Buriram, Si Saket, Surin and Ubon Ratchathani. The Foreign Office also has pre-existing warnings against travel to southern parts of Thailand, near the Malaysian border including the Pattani Province, Yala Province, Narathiwat Province, and the southern Songkhla Province, and south of the train line which runs between Hat Yai and Padang Besar.

In Cambodia, the FCDO advises against all but essential travel within 50km from the border with Thailand in the Oddar Meanchey and Preah Vihear provinces.

If you are in the area, or due to travel, keep a close eye on the FCDO’s pages on Thailand and Cambodia.

Are things likely to escalate?

This is a possibility. Tita Sanglee, a Thailand-based associate fellow at the ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute think tank, says: “With Thai soldiers wounded by Cambodian landmines in apparent violation of the Ottawa Treaty, and now with the latest reports of injured Thai civilians and fatalities, the pressure on Thai political as well as military leaders is mounting.

“Continued restraint may no longer be viable as it risks escalating a crisis of public trust.”

Long-simmering tensions between Cambodia and Thailand escalated into open conflict this week as the two countries exchanged heavy fire across a dozen locations on their disputed border, causing the deaths of civilians and prompting the evacuation of tens of thousands of residents. The neighbors, which have both amassed troops at their border regions, blame each other for instigating the violence and say they have acted in self-defense. After Thailand launched airstrikes at Cambodian targets on Thursday, Cambodia fired heavy artillery across the border Friday morning.

Advertisement Advertisement

Advertisement Advertisement

The U.N. Security Council convened an emergency meeting on Friday as the United States, China and countries in Southeast Asia called on the two governments to de-escalate.

Advertisement

The rift between Thailand and Cambodia goes back more than a century, but this is the worst violence between the two countries in more than a decade. In 2011, similar clashes killed 20 people and drove thousands on both sides of the border from their homes.

Here’s what to know.

What’s the root cause of the conflict?

Relations between the Southeast Asian neighbors have been contentious since 1907, when the French colony of Cambodia and the independent Kingdom of Siam (as Thailand was known until 1939) signed a treaty delineating the 500-mile border between them. The problem: The treaty’s map differed from its text — most notably, it left Preah Vihear, an 11th-century temple of deep significance to both countries, in French territory.

Advertisement Advertisement

Advertisement

Preah Vihear became a sticking point. During World War II, Japanese-allied Thailand seized the temple, then surrendered it to French Cambodia following the defeat of the Axis powers. In 1954, as a newly independent Cambodia was emerging, Thailand retook it.

Cambodia took the dispute to the International Court of Justice, where it argued that the 1907 French map proved its sovereignty over the temple. The court agreed, ruling in 1962 that it belonged to Cambodia. Thailand accepted the decision and withdrew its troops.

In 2008, tensions resurfaced as Cambodia sought UNESCO recognition of Preah Vihear as a World Heritage site.

The Thai government of then-Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej initially supported the Cambodian application but withdrew when his opponents accused him of selling out Thai interests.

Advertisement

UNESCO approved Cambodia’s application in July 2008. Soon after, the Thai government deployed troops near the temple. (Cambodia said they entered its territory. Thailand said they did not.) Cambodia responded in kind, resulting in a military buildup along the border. Regular skirmishes have continued since.

Advertisement Advertisement

Advertisement Advertisement

What sparked the current conflict?

The border dispute this year has not been directly attributed to Preah Vihear but has been fueled by long-standing sovereignty claims and nationalism that shaped earlier conflicts.

A Cambodian soldier was killed in unclear circumstances during a border skirmish in May.

Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra called on Hun Sen, seen widely as Cambodia’s de facto leader, to de-escalate tensions. But it had the opposite effect. In a recording of the call that Hun Sen posted online, the Thai leader appears to speak deferentially to the Cambodian authoritarian, calling him “uncle.” Its release stoked outrage in Thailand, prompting calls for Paetongtarn to resign.

Advertisement

In July, the Thai constitutional court suspended the prime minister from official duties.

Exchanges between Thailand and Cambodia continued. On Wednesday, a land mine on the border maimed a Thai soldier. Bangkok accused Phnom Penh of having placed the mines in disputed territory and recalled its ambassador to Cambodia.

On Thursday, the two militaries began exchanging heavy fire. Thailand — a U.S. security treaty ally — then flew an F-16 fighter jet over Cambodia, dropping bombs on what it said were two military targets.

How many people have died?

As of Friday, Thailand said as many as 20 civilians have been killed, including children, and dozens more injured. One soldier was also reported to have been killed. Thailand said Cambodian personnel damaged a gas station and fired at a hospital.