Phnom Penh/Bangkok, December 10 (ANI): Clashes between Thailand and Cambodia intensified as Thai F-16s bombed Cambodian villages and Cambodian forces fired rockets at a Thai hospital, reports say.
Khmer Times said Thai military F-16s dropped two bombs on Slor Kram village, Slor Kram commune, Svay Chek district, Banteay Meanchey province. The outlet reported several fighter jets also struck areas including Thi Mom Thi, An Ses, Phnom Khak and the Preah Vihear Temple, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Thai forces reportedly used one artillery shell in the Cheyy area, Thma Da commune, Veal Veng district, Pursat province, deployed two DK rifles and employed drones to drop bombs in the same Cheyy area.
Citing the Second Army Region, Bangkok Post reported that rockets launched from Cambodia struck Phanom Dong Rak Hospital in Surin province on Wednesday morning; the facility had been hit in July. The paper said six rockets were fired at the hospital and its vicinity in Phanom Dong Rak district at about 8:40 am local time, forcing evacuation of staff and patients.
The Second Army said clashes continued across 12 locations on Wednesday morning. It claimed Cambodian forces on Tuesday fired some 5,000 rockets and launched suicide drone attacks across multiple border areas, notably Chong An Ma and Chong Bok in Ubon Ratchathani, Thiang Ta Mok in Si Sa Ket, and Chong Khana and Prasat Ta Khwai in Surin.
The regional army reported four Thai soldiers killed and 68 wounded, while saying 61 Cambodian soldiers were dead; the number of injured Cambodian troops was not yet estimated.
The First Army Region said its troops retook an area in Ban Nong Ya Kaew in Sa Kaeo that had been occupied by Cambodian forces, finding anti-personnel landmines and improvised explosive devices prepared there. An attempt to reclaim another encroached area in Ban Nong Chan, Sa Kaeo, met resistance; five Thai soldiers were injured.
While speaking on the economy in Pennsylvania, US President Donald Trump said, “I hate to say this, Cambodia and Thailand started up today. Tomorrow I have to make a phone call…I’m going to make a phone call and stop a war of two very powerful countries, Thailand and Cambodia. They’re going at it again. But I’ll do it. So we’re making peace through strength.”
The renewed fighting came weeks after Thailand suspended a peace agreement signed in Kuala Lumpur in late October — an accord witnessed by Trump — pausing commitments in November after a landmine blast injured two Thai soldiers. The escalation follows Trump’s recent remarks claiming he had settled eight wars in 10 months, including disputes involving Cambodia and Thailand.
Border tensions between Thailand and Cambodia date back decades, rooted in colonial-era map disputes. The frontier has seen repeated clashes, including in July when fighting with jets, missiles and ground troops killed dozens and displaced nearly 200,000 people. (ANI)
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