As violent border confrontations entered their third day, leaving at least 33 people dead and over 168,000 displaced, Cambodia and Surinthailand exchanged allegations of new attacks on Saturday as international pressure rose on both sides to achieve a ceasefire.
Gunshots and artillery fire were heard close to a number of border communities, enlarging the area that erupted once more on Thursday following the injuries of five Thai soldiers. Officials from Thailand and Cambodia said their actions were retaliatory.
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Thailand and both nations closed their border crossings with Cambodia in the northeast.
Thai officials stated a soldier was killed on Saturday, increasing the number of dead to 20, primarily civilians, while Cambodian authorities reported 12 further deaths, bringing the total to 13.
There is mounting pressure on the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, the regional organization, to diffuse tensions between its two members. U.N. Security Council members demanded de-escalation and encouraged ASEAN to mediate a peaceful resolution during an emergency meeting on Friday.
Although the 800-kilometer (500-mile) border between Thailand and Cambodia has been contested for many years, previous conflicts have been small-scale and short. A skirmish that resulted in the death of a Cambodian soldier in May sparked the present tensions and a diplomatic breach.
Increased tension and new attacks
Five heavy artillery shells were launched at several areas in the province of Pursat early Saturday, prompting Cambodia’s Defense Ministry to denounce what it described as an expanded Thai onslaught and label the incident a “unprovoked and premeditated act of aggression.”
Tensions erupted in the province of Koh Kong, where four Thai naval boats were reportedly stationed offshore and four more were en route, according to ministry spokesperson Lt. Gen. Maly Socheata. According to her, the naval deployment was an aggressive step that could lead to further escalation.
In two days of violence, five military and seven civilians were slain, according to Maly Socheata. A man was reported dead earlier after Thai rockets struck a pagoda he was hiding beneath.
By placing their guns close to residential areas, the Thai army accused Phnom Penh of employing human shields and denied targeting civilian targets in Cambodia.
In a statement released on Saturday, Thailand’s navy accused Cambodian forces of launching a fresh assault in the province of Trat. It said that Thai forces reacted quickly and effectively repelled the Cambodian incursion at three strategic locations, announcing that aggression will not be accepted.
Additionally, Thai authorities said that a number of Cambodian artillery shells had damaged residences and property in Laos after landing across the border. The claim has not received a public response from Lao officials.
Thousands have already been uprooted by the war.
While Thai officials reported that over 131,000 people had left their border villages, Cambodia’s Information Minister Neth Pheaktra announced on Saturday that 10,865 Cambodian households, or 37,635 people, had been forced to evacuate to safe places due to the conflicts in three border districts.
Demand for civilian protection in the wake of alleged cluster bomb use
Human Rights Watch called on the concerned states and the U.N. Security Council to put pressure on the governments of Thailand and Cambodia to uphold international humanitarian law and take all necessary precautions to safeguard civilians. According to a statement released by the rights group on Saturday, Thai authorities have shuttered seven hospitals and at least 852 schools for safety reasons, and children have been injured.
After first rejecting Cambodian allegations that internationally banned cluster munitions were being used, a Thai military spokesperson said in a statement Friday that such weapons could be used when needed to target military targets. Both sides have used rocket and artillery attacks. The deployment of cluster munitions in inhabited areas was denounced by HRW.
The Convention on Cluster Munitions, which forbids the use of the weapon, is not a party to either Thailand or Cambodia. In February 2011, Thai officials used them in a border conflict with Cambodia that resulted in the deaths of 20 people.
According to a statement from Human Rights Watch’s Asia advocacy director, John Sifton, neither Thailand nor Cambodia seem to be paying much regard to international humanitarian law at the expense of civilians. The protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure must be the top priority of current diplomatic initiatives.
Thai authorities also admitted using drones and F-16 aircraft to carry out airstrikes.
ASEAN alliance is urged by the UN to mediate
Thai Foreign Minister Maris Sangiampongsa said Saturday that all 15 member nations urged both sides to exhibit restraint, stop attacks, and settle the conflict amicably, but the U.N. Security Council did not adopt a resolution on the crisis during its emergency session on Friday. He said that they backed ASEAN’s mediation efforts between its two members.
Anwar Ibrahim, the prime minister of Malaysia, the current ASEAN chair, had previously stated that his ceasefire plan was in principle acceptable to Thailand and Cambodia. Anwar has assigned the nation’s foreign minister to conduct peace negotiations to end the bloodshed, according to Malaysian media.
Maris stated on Saturday that although his nation accepted the plan in principle, he asked that Cambodia first demonstrate sincerity and end hostilities. He also stated that Thailand would keep up its positive engagement with Malaysia.
He urged Cambodia to return to the negotiating table in good faith and with sincerity, and reaffirmed Thailand’s commitment to a peaceful and international law-compliant resolution of the dispute.
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This report was written by Eileen Ng in Kuala Lumpur and Chalida Ekvitthayavechnukul and Grant Peck in Bangkok for the Associated Press. Reporting from Oddar Meanchey, Cambodia, was Sopheng Cheang.
