Thailand and Cambodia have again erupted into a deadly military clash, with both sides accusing each other of violating a six-week-old ceasefire and threatening each other’s sovereignty.
The latest clashes have left at least seven civilians dead and 20 wounded in Cambodia, according to a report in The Guardian on December 9. Thailand, on the other hand, said three of its soldiers had been killed. It is the bloodiest fighting since a five-day war in July.
Cambodian Senate President Hun Sen wrote on Facebook, “Cambodia wants peace, but we must strike back to defend our territory.” He claimed that they have modern weapons and strong defense systems. In contrast, Rear Admiral Surasant Kongsiri, a spokesman for the Thai Ministry of Defense, said that if necessary, full military force would be used to protect the border. Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul was even more harsh, saying that dialogue was no longer possible; Cambodia must move forward with conditions to stop the conflict. Cambodia, on the other hand, has accused Thailand of attacking civilian areas and destroying historical sites.
The clashes have forced about 125,000 people from four Thai provinces and more than 21,000 from three Cambodian provinces to evacuate.
Malaysia has called for urgent action to control the situation amid the Thai-Cambodian tensions. Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Hassan expressed deep concern and suggested an immediate return to dialogue to resolve the dispute in accordance with Article 7 of the July 28 ceasefire agreement. Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim also called for utmost restraint, saying that as members of ASEAN, there is no room for the two countries’ relations to break down and dialogue is the only way to resolve the situation.
