Thai-Cambodian clashes enter 4th day as more flee border areas, death toll rises to 16

By Berk Kutay Gokmen

ISTANBUL (AA) - Clashes between Thailand and Cambodia continued for a fourth day on Thursday, forcing more people to flee border regions and pushing the death toll to 16.

Cambodia’s Senior Minister General Kun Kim said between 130,000 and 150,000 people are currently sheltering in temporary sites, according to Khmer Times.

Cambodia’s Defense Ministry said Thai forces “continued to attack” border areas and cultural sites with “heavy weapons as well as F-16 fighter jets,” according to state-run Agence Kampuchea Presse. The Interior Ministry said 10 Cambodian civilians have been killed and around 60 injured since Monday.

Phnom Penh also sent a letter to the UN Security Council on Wednesday accusing Thailand of “unprovoked, unlawful, and escalating acts of armed aggression.”

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The Royal Thai Army has claimed Cambodian forces have carried out “continuous attacks along the Thai–Cambodian border since Dec. 7, firing small arms and heavy weapons into Thai territory, including civilian areas and medical facilities,” according to the Thai Enquirer.

Responding to Cambodia’s accusations of civilian and heritage-site damage, the Thai Army said its intelligence indicated that “Cambodian forces have been placing military positions inside civilian communities, casino buildings, and historic sites, effectively using them as shields,” the outlet reported.

Thai Defense Ministry spokesman Surasant Kongsiri said Wednesday that “over 400,000 people have been evacuated to safe shelters.”

The clashes since Monday have also killed six Thai soldiers and displaced more than half a million people on both sides of the border, with Bangkok saying it used F-16 jets in strikes on Cambodian territory. Cambodian authorities have not confirmed casualty figures for their own forces.

Schools in several border districts have been closed, with some converted into emergency shelters.

Amid speculation that Thailand may dissolve parliament for early elections, Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said: “No government move to dissolve the House will disrupt national security operations at the Cambodia border,” according to the Bangkok Post. Anutin has suggested the lower house could be dissolved before Jan. 31.

Thailand’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Cherdchai Chaivaivid, submitted letters to the UN secretary-general and the Security Council accusing Cambodia of “grave and unprovoked military attacks” on Thai territory, the Thai Enquirer reported. The letters rejected claims that Thailand initiated the fighting, calling them “deliberate misinformation intended to distort facts.”

Cambodia has recalled its athletes from the 33rd Southeast Asian Games 2025 in Thailand, citing safety concerns, and its authorities are “collecting evidence” for a possible case at the International Criminal Court in The Hague “in response to Thailand’s armed aggression against Cambodia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

The two sides have accused each other of initiating this week’s clashes, which they say violate the peace deal signed in October in Kuala Lumpur in the presence of US President Donald Trump and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.

Anadolu could not independently confirm claims and counterclaims made by the two warring sides.

Washington has expressed “concern” over the violence, and Trump is expected to speak with leaders of both countries.

The neighbors have a long-running border dispute that has led to repeated clashes, including in July, when at least 48 people were killed. Around 18 Cambodian soldiers remain in Thai custody from incidents in the past five months.

The land border has been closed since July, limiting cross-border movement and business.

Separately, the Chinese Embassy issued a security alert in Cambodia, urging its citizens to avoid border areas amid the ongoing clashes.