By Berk Kutay Gokmen
ISTANBUL (AA) – UNICEF on Thursday urged the de-escalation of the Thai-Cambodia border conflict after deadly clashes resulted in the deaths of at least 12 people.
“UNICEF is deeply concerned by the escalating violence along the Thailand–Cambodia border,” June Kunugi, UNICEF regional director for East Asia and the Pacific, said in a statement.
The UN agency called on all parties "to exercise maximum restraint and protect children and the critical services they rely on, in line with their obligations under international law, including the Convention on the Rights of the Child,” she added.
“Children must be protected at all times and their safety and well-being must be prioritized, while schools must remain safe spaces for learning.”
The Thai Health Ministry has said 12 people died, including a child and a soldier, from artillery shells fired from Cambodia, while at least 31 others were injured, seven of them soldiers.
Cambodia has not reported casualties. The attacks led to border displacement and school closures on both sides.
The latest clash occurred a day after a Thai soldier lost his leg in a landmine explosion.
Cambodia and Thailand have downgraded diplomatic ties to the lowest level in decades, after tensions between the two countries have been rising since May 28, when troops exchanged fire near the border, resulting in the death of a Cambodian soldier.
The two Southeast Asian neighbors have a disputed border lying across Cambodia’s Preah Vihear province and the northeastern province of Ubon Ratchathani in Thailand.