Heavy Artillery Fire Continues
Clashes Spread to Coastal Trat
The Thai-Cambodian border conflict escalated on Saturday, with heavy artillery exchanges persisting for a third day, unaliving at least 33 people and displacing over 150,000. Fighting, initially centered in rural border areas, has now reached Trat’s coastal region on the Gulf of Thailand, 250 kilometers southwest of the main conflict zones, where artillery blasts echoed throughout the afternoon.
Civilian Areas Under Attack
Devastation in Si Sa Ket and Beyond
Both nations traded accusations of targeting civilian infrastructure. In Si Sa Ket, a Thai villager reported hearing relentless artillery fire while sheltering in a bunker, expressing desperation for peace. Cambodian officials claimed Thai forces struck non-military targets like schools and pagodas, while Thailand denied these allegations, asserting that Cambodian rockets hit a hospital, petrol station, and convenience store, taking out eight civilians.
Thai Air Strikes Target Cambodian Positions
F-16s and Gripens Deployed
The Royal Thai Air Force launched air strikes on Saturday, deploying two F-16s and two Gripen jets to destroy Cambodian military targets in Si Sa Ket’s Phu Makua area and Surin’s Prasat Ta Muean Thom. The operation neutralized artillery and ballistic weapon sites, with all aircraft returning safely. The Thai army also reported clashes in Sa Kaeo, marking the involvement of six of Thailand’s seven border provinces.
Mass Evacuations and Casualties Mount
Over 170,000 Displaced
The conflict has forced over 138,000 Thais and 35,000 Cambodians to flee, with Thai authorities reporting 13 civilians and seven soldiers were taken out, and 33 injured. Cambodia confirmed 13 deaths, including eight civilians, and 71 wounded. The death toll surpasses that of the 2008–2011 clashes, with evacuees now housed in temporary shelters like Surin Rajabhat University and Cambodia’s Batthkao Primary School.
Diplomatic Stalemate Persists
Ceasefire Talks Falter
Both nations expressed openness to a truce, but mutual blame for initiating hostilities has stalled progress. Cambodia’s UN ambassador called for an unconditional ceasefire after a UN Security Council meeting, while Thai Foreign Minister Maris Sangiampongsa insisted on Cambodia’s “genuine sincerity” for talks to proceed. Accusations of cluster munitions use by Thailand and civilian targeting by Cambodia further complicate negotiations.
Regional and International Concerns
China’s Role Scrutinized
Thailand’s military attaché in Beijing confirmed China has not supplied new weapons to Cambodia since the conflict began, though Cambodia relies on Chinese support for its defense modernization. Thailand, a US ally with advanced F-16s and Gripen jets, maintains a military edge. Former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, visiting evacuees in Ubon Ratchathani, stressed the need for military operations to conclude before dialogue can begin, reflecting the tense path to resolution.
