Thailand and Cambodia’s forces face the border, with Thai jets allegedly bombing military sites

Bangkok – Thai soldiers and Cambodians faced several areas along their border on Thursday at a great escalation of their conflict that left at least 11 people dead, mostly civilians. The two sides fired small arms, artillery and rockets, and Thailand also called air attacks.

You could see the Thai villagers in a video that fled from their homes to seek refuge when the clashes began in the morning.

The fighting continued in at least six areas along the border, said spokesman for the Ministry of Defense Thai, Surasant Kongsiri. The trigger for the clashes was a mine explosion along the border on Wednesday that wounded five Thai soldiers and took Bangkok to withdraw his ambassador to Cambodia and expelled Cambodia.

Thailand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that all land border crossings with Cambodia were sealed and that communities near the border had been evacuated. He urged all Thai citizens to leave Cambodia.

The residents of Southeast Asia have long -standing border disputes that stand out periodically along their 500 mile border and generally result in brief clashes that sometimes involve shooting exchanges. But relations have deteriorated sharply since a confrontation in May that killed a Cambodian soldier, and Thursday’s clashes were much greater in the scale and intensity of the usual.

The United States embassy in Thailand pointed out “fighting reports, including rocket and artillery fire, between the Cambodian and Thai forces along the border”, and said that the Thai government was “ordering the evacuation of certain areas.”

“American citizens who live or travel near the border of Thailand-Cambodia must follow the direction of Thai security services and consult the local government authorities to obtain the most recent information,” said the embassy.

The first clash on Thursday morning occurred in an area near the old Temple Ta they move Thom along the border of the province of Surin de Thailand and the province of Cambodia Oddar Mechey.

A video of the Thai side showed people fleeing from their homes and hidden in a concrete bunker while playing explosions.

The Thai army said that his forces heard a drone before seeing six armed Consoan soldiers approaching Thai military positions on the border. He said that Thai soldiers tried to shout them to calm the situation, but the Cambodian side began to open fire.

However, the Cambodia Ministry of Defense said that Thailand displayed a drone first before opening fire, and that Cambodia “strictly acted within the limits of self -defense, responding to an incursion not caused by the Thai troops that violated our territorial integrity.”

The Cambodian Prime Minister, Hun Manet, wrote to the current president of the UN Security Council asking for an urgent meeting “to stop Thailand’s aggression.”

The Thai army said that he then launched air attacks on military objectives in Cambodia, while the Cambodian Ministry of Defense said that the Thai jets threw bombs on a road near the old preah Vihear temple, which has been the site of some of the most prominent and violent past conflicts among the countries.

Thailand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs accused Cambodia of attacking military and non -military sites in Thailand, including a hospital.

“The Royal Government of Thai is prepared to intensify our self -defense measures if Cambodia persists in his armed attack and violations about Thailand’s sovereignty according to international law and principles,” said Nikorndej Balankura, Ministry’s spokesman.

Thai interim prime minister Phumtham Wechayachai said that 11 people have died, including 10 civilians and a soldier. Meanwhile, 28 have been injured, four of which were soldiers and civilians from the rest.

Cambodia did not give details about deaths or wounds on his side.

On Wednesday, Thailand withdrew his ambassador to Cambodia and expelled the Cambodian ambassador to protest the explosion of the mine that wounded his soldiers.

Thai authorities alleged that the mines were recently placed along roads that both parties had agreed that they should be safe. They said that the mines were of Russian manufacture and not a guy employed by the Thailand army.

Cambodia rejected Thailand’s story as “accusations without foundation”, noting that many unleashed mines and other ammunition are a legacy of wars and disturbances of the twentieth century.

Cambodia also degraded diplomatic relations, remembering all Cambodian staff on Thursday of their embassy in Bangkok.

The border dispute in May that resulted in the death of a Cambodian soldier has had political consequences in Thailand. Prime Minister Paetongtran Shinawatra was criticized for being too added in a phone call with his Cambodian counterpart when he tried to calm the situation. Since then, he has been suspended from the position awaiting an investigation into possible ethics violations on the matter.

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