Thailand-Cambodia Border Clash Leaves 32 Dead as UN Convenes Emergency Closed-Door Meeting

Thailand-Cambodia Border Clashes Leave 32 Dead as UN Urges De-escalation

Tensions between Thailand and Cambodia escalated sharply over the weekend as deadly border clashes entered their third day, killing at least 32 people and displacing tens of thousands. The fighting, which broke out Wednesday after a land mine injured five Thai soldiers, has stoked fears of a prolonged conflict between the two Southeast Asian nations.

The U.N. Security Council held an emergency closed-door meeting in New York late Friday at Cambodia’s request but did not issue a formal statement. A council diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity because the meeting was private, said all 15 members called on both nations to de-escalate, show restraint, and resolve their dispute peacefully. The council also urged the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to step in and mediate the conflict.

Cambodia’s U.N. Ambassador Chhea Keo told reporters his government demanded “immediate ceasefires, unconditionally,” and reiterated the need for a diplomatic solution. Keo rejected Thai accusations that Cambodia initiated the fighting, saying, “How can a small country with no air force attack a much larger country with an army three times its size? We do not do that.”

Thailand’s U.N. ambassador left the meeting without comment.

The humanitarian toll has been severe. Thailand’s Health Ministry reported that more than 58,000 people have fled villages in four border provinces for temporary shelters. Cambodian officials said at least 23,000 people have been evacuated from communities near the border.

The clashes have been centered near the disputed Ta Muen Thom temple and other flashpoints along the 500-mile frontier. Thailand said Cambodian forces used heavy artillery and Russian-made BM-21 rocket launchers, prompting what it described as “appropriate supporting fire” in return. Cambodia accused Thailand of targeting civilian areas, including a school compound in Oddar Meanchey province and a Buddhist pagoda where one man was killed. Thailand has denied those accusations and accused Cambodian forces of using civilians as “human shields.”

The death toll on the Thai side includes six soldiers and 13 civilians, with at least 59 wounded, officials said. Cambodia reported 13 dead five soldiers and eight civilians bringing the total to at least 32.

On Friday, Thailand’s acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai suggested Cambodia may be guilty of war crimes for civilian deaths and the destruction of a hospital. “Thailand has exercised the utmost restraint and patience in the face of provocations and aggression,” Phumtham said.

Evacuations continued Saturday as explosions rattled hospitals and villages along the border. In Thailand’s Surin province, about 600 evacuees sought shelter at a university gymnasium. “I just heard boom, boom,” recalled seamstress Pornpan Sooksai, who fled her home near Ta Muen Thom temple with her cats and belongings. “I was frightened, scared.”

Similar scenes played out across the border in Cambodia, where villages in Oddar Meanchey were largely deserted. Families packed belongings onto tractors, while others dug makeshift bunkers to shield themselves from shelling. “Please negotiate a settlement so that I can return to my home and work on the farm,” pleaded 74-year-old evacuee Veng Chin.

The conflict marks one of the rare instances of armed confrontation between ASEAN member states. Malaysia, which chairs the 10-nation regional bloc, has offered to mediate and said both countries have agreed in principle to a ceasefire and troop withdrawal, though no timeline has been set. Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said he spoke with Cambodian leader Hun Manet and Thailand’s Phumtham and urged them to prioritize dialogue.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has also called on both nations to exercise restraint and seek a peaceful resolution.

The two countries have a long-standing dispute over their shared border, but clashes have historically been limited and short-lived. The last major flare-up in 2011 left 20 people dead. The current tensions first reignited in May when a Cambodian soldier was killed in a confrontation, prompting a diplomatic rift that deepened after the land mine explosion Wednesday.

Bangkok has since closed the border and expelled Cambodia’s ambassador, heightening fears that the violence could spiral into a wider conflict.

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Source: NDTV