Over half a million flee their homes as Cambodia-Thailand border clashes intensify
Residents ride their motorbikes along a street after they evacuated following clashes along the Cambodia-Thailand border, in Siem Reap province on December 9.
Image: Tang Chhin Sothy / AFP
More than 500,000 people have fled their homes to safety in Thailand and Cambodia since the start of a reignited border conflict, both governments said on Wednesday, surpassing the total number evacuated during similar clashes earlier this year.
"Civilians have had to evacuate in large numbers due to what we assessed as an imminent threat to their safety. More than 400,000 people have been moved to safe shelters across seven provinces," Thai defence ministry spokesperson Surasant Kongsiri told reporters at a news conference.
"We want to prevent a recurrence of the attacks on civilians we suffered in July 2025."
In Cambodia, "101,229 people have been evacuated to safe shelters and relatives' homes in five provinces," as of Tuesday evening, defence ministry spokeswoman Maly Socheata told reporters.
The Southeast Asian neighbours dispute the colonial-era demarcation of their 800-kilometre frontier, where competing claims to historic temples have spilt over into armed conflict.
This week's clashes are the deadliest since five days of fighting in July that killed dozens and displaced around 300,000 on both sides of the border before a shaky truce was agreed, following intervention by US President Donald Trump.
Both sides blame each other for instigating the renewed fighting, which on Tuesday expanded to five provinces of both Thailand and Cambodia, according to an AFP tally of official accounts.
Thailand launched air strikes on Cambodia on Monday, the Thai army said, with both sides trading blame for the latest eruption of fighting on their disputed border, which killed a Thai soldier.
After Cambodian troops fired on Thai forces early Monday morning in Ubon Ratchathani province, "the Army received reports that Thai soldiers were attacked with supporting fire weapons, resulting in one soldier killed and four wounded", Thai army spokesman Winthai Suvaree said in a statement.
Winthai also said Thailand had begun "using aircraft to strike military targets in several areas" to suppress attacks by Cambodian forces.
AFP