Phnom Penh/Bangkok, Dec. 9 — Cambodia says Thai forces resumed attacks along the border, and both sides report further casualties after renewed fighting that began Dec. 7.
Cambodia’s Information Ministry, cited by Khmer Times, said intense shelling overnight and into the morning killed several civilians and injured about 20 people. The ministry later said at least seven civilians died in attacks on villages and border areas, and that shelling on National Road 56 in Banteay Meanchey Province killed two civilians who were fleeing.
The Cambodian Defence Ministry reported heavy bombardment from about 8:39 pm on Dec. 8 until 8:00 am on Dec. 9 in and around Chok Chey and Prey Chan villages. It said Thai forces used aerial reconnaissance drones over Boeung Trakuon and expanded operations into Boeung Pring, Thmar Pouk and Komrieng districts in Battambang Province, employing heavy weapons and firing gas.
Thailand’s military also reported fatalities. The Royal Thai Army told the Bangkok Post that two more Thai soldiers were killed in the latest clashes, raising Thailand’s reported combat deaths to three since fighting resumed on Dec. 7.
Bangkok accused Cambodian forces of repeated provocations, including weapons fire and planting landmines, saying Thai forces had to retaliate. Thai officials said clashes had spread to six of the seven provinces that border Cambodia and described a Thai Navy-led operation in Trat province aimed at expelling Cambodian troops. Thai statements alleged Cambodian use of artillery, rocket launchers and bomb-dropping drones against Thai positions.
The renewed violence comes after a fragile truce brokered at the ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur in late October, when Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and Cambodian leader Hun Manet agreed to halt hostilities. That ceasefire followed violent clashes in July that killed nearly four dozen people and displaced more than 300,000.
Under the Kuala Lumpur deal — mediated by Malaysia and the United States — both sides agreed to military de-escalation measures, including removing heavy weaponry and landmines from the border under ASEAN supervision and curbing online information operations that fuel tensions. Thailand agreed to release 18 Cambodian soldiers it had held since July 29 as part of the arrangement.
Since October, however, renewed skirmishes and mutual accusations have threatened the agreement. Thailand said it suspended implementation after one of its soldiers was wounded by a landmine last month, and Al Jazeera reported that Thailand has not yet released the 18 Cambodian soldiers, saying it will do so when Cambodia complies with its commitments.
The situation remains volatile, with both governments trading blame while civilians in border areas face growing danger and displacement.
