Deaths in clashes between Thailand and Cambodia increase despite ceasefire call
Kyiv • UNN
Border clashes between Thailand and Cambodia continue for the third day, with the death toll rising to 33. Cambodia has called for an immediate ceasefire, while Thailand demands an end to sovereignty violations.
Clashes between Thailand and Cambodia continued for a third day on Saturday, with the death toll in the deadliest fighting in years rising to 33, as Phnom Penh called for an "immediate ceasefire," UNN reports, citing AFP.
Details
A long-running border dispute escalated into a fierce conflict involving aircraft, artillery, tanks, and ground troops on Thursday, prompting the UN Security Council to hold an emergency meeting on the crisis on Friday.
Cambodia's Ministry of Defense said 13 deaths were confirmed in the fighting, including eight civilians and five soldiers, and 71 wounded.
In Thailand, the army reported that five soldiers were killed on Friday, bringing the total number of casualties to 20 - 14 civilians and six military personnel.
Both sides reported clashes around 5:00 AM (22:00 GMT on Friday), with Cambodia accusing Thai forces of launching "five heavy artillery shells" at locations in Pursat province, which borders Thailand's Trat province, on the coast about 250 kilometers southwest of the main front lines.
The fighting has forced the evacuation of more than 138,000 people from border areas in Thailand, and more than 35,000 from their homes in Cambodia.
After a closed meeting of the Security Council in New York, Cambodia's UN Ambassador Chea Keo said his country wanted a ceasefire.
"Cambodia is asking for an immediate ceasefire - unconditional - and we also call for a peaceful resolution of the dispute," he told reporters.
Thai Foreign Minister Maris Sangiampongsa said on Saturday that for any ceasefire or continued negotiations, Cambodia must demonstrate "true sincerity in ending the conflict."
"I call on Cambodia to stop violating Thailand's sovereignty and return to resolving the issue through bilateral dialogue," Maris told reporters.
Thai Foreign Ministry spokesman Nikorndey Balankura said on Friday, before the UN meeting, that Bangkok was open to negotiations, possibly with Malaysia's facilitation.
Malaysia currently chairs the regional bloc of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, of which Thailand and Cambodia are members.
Addition
Both sides accuse the other of opening fire first, while Thailand has accused Cambodia of firing on civilian infrastructure, including a hospital hit by shells and a gas station hit by at least one rocket. Cambodia has accused Thai forces of using cluster munitions.
These battles mark a dramatic escalation of a long-running dispute between the neighbors - both popular destinations for millions of foreign tourists - over their shared 800-kilometer border.
Dozens of kilometers in several areas are disputed, and fighting broke out between 2008 and 2011, killing at least 28 people and leaving tens of thousands homeless.
A 2013 UN court ruling settled the issue for over a decade, but the current crisis erupted in May when a Cambodian soldier was killed in a new clash.
Relations between the neighbors deteriorated sharply when former Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen last month released a recording of a conversation with Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra concerning the border dispute. The leak caused a political crisis in Thailand, as Paetongtarn - the daughter of former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra - was accused of not adequately defending Thailand and criticizing her own army. She was removed from office by a court decision.