Thailand Airstrikes Cambodian Village Amid Border Talks as Clashes Persist
Despite ongoing negotiations to end renewed hostilities, Thai jets struck a Cambodian village, destroying infrastructure and raising tensions between Bangkok and Phnom Penh
Thai and Cambodian forces continued to engage in hostilities along their long-disputed border on Friday even as both governments pursued negotiations aimed at ending the fighting that reignited in early December.
In a significant escalation, Thai F-16 fighter jets carried out an airstrike on a village in Cambodia’s Banteay Meanchey province, dropping around forty bombs and destroying houses and local infrastructure, according to statements from the Cambodian Ministry of Defence and eyewitness reports.
There were no immediate confirmed reports of civilian casualties from the attack, but damage to homes and roads was evident as residents surveyed the aftermath.
The Royal Thai Armed Forces confirmed the operation, describing it as a necessary defensive measure to protect Thailand’s Sa Kaeo province amid overlapping territorial claims that have fuelled the conflict.
Officials in Bangkok said the deployment of air power was aimed at disrupting what they described as threats emanating from positions across the border that endangered Thai border communities.
Cambodian authorities condemned the strikes as a violation of Cambodian sovereignty and accused Thailand of breaching a fragile ceasefire that had been brokered months earlier.
The renewed violence has resulted in casualties on both sides and significant displacement of civilians.
Thailand’s defence ministry reported dozens of deaths among military personnel and civilians, while Cambodian authorities have cited civilian deaths and extensive damage to villages in frontline provinces.
The conflict re-erupted after a ceasefire brokered in October with regional mediation efforts failed to hold, and exchanges of artillery, rocket fire and airstrikes have been reported along multiple segments of the 817-kilometre land border.
Diplomatic efforts to halt the fighting have been ongoing.
Thai and Cambodian officials have convened meetings of their General Border Committee, and Thailand proposed a seventy-two-hour ceasefire and discussions on the potential return of prisoners of war.
Regional actors, including Malaysia as ASEAN chair, the United States and China, have called for an immediate cessation of hostilities and renewed dialogue.
A formal agreement has been anticipated following border negotiations scheduled for late December.
The escalation has highlighted deep-rooted territorial disputes and historical sensitivities, as well as the challenges faced by regional organisations and external partners in mediating protracted conflicts between neighbouring states.
As troops remain deployed and border communities live under threat, both governments affirm their commitment to pursuing a diplomatic resolution while maintaining security along the contested frontier.
In a significant escalation, Thai F-16 fighter jets carried out an airstrike on a village in Cambodia’s Banteay Meanchey province, dropping around forty bombs and destroying houses and local infrastructure, according to statements from the Cambodian Ministry of Defence and eyewitness reports.
There were no immediate confirmed reports of civilian casualties from the attack, but damage to homes and roads was evident as residents surveyed the aftermath.
The Royal Thai Armed Forces confirmed the operation, describing it as a necessary defensive measure to protect Thailand’s Sa Kaeo province amid overlapping territorial claims that have fuelled the conflict.
Officials in Bangkok said the deployment of air power was aimed at disrupting what they described as threats emanating from positions across the border that endangered Thai border communities.
Cambodian authorities condemned the strikes as a violation of Cambodian sovereignty and accused Thailand of breaching a fragile ceasefire that had been brokered months earlier.
The renewed violence has resulted in casualties on both sides and significant displacement of civilians.
Thailand’s defence ministry reported dozens of deaths among military personnel and civilians, while Cambodian authorities have cited civilian deaths and extensive damage to villages in frontline provinces.
The conflict re-erupted after a ceasefire brokered in October with regional mediation efforts failed to hold, and exchanges of artillery, rocket fire and airstrikes have been reported along multiple segments of the 817-kilometre land border.
Diplomatic efforts to halt the fighting have been ongoing.
Thai and Cambodian officials have convened meetings of their General Border Committee, and Thailand proposed a seventy-two-hour ceasefire and discussions on the potential return of prisoners of war.
Regional actors, including Malaysia as ASEAN chair, the United States and China, have called for an immediate cessation of hostilities and renewed dialogue.
A formal agreement has been anticipated following border negotiations scheduled for late December.
The escalation has highlighted deep-rooted territorial disputes and historical sensitivities, as well as the challenges faced by regional organisations and external partners in mediating protracted conflicts between neighbouring states.
As troops remain deployed and border communities live under threat, both governments affirm their commitment to pursuing a diplomatic resolution while maintaining security along the contested frontier.
