Escalating Cambodia–Thailand Border Fighting Leaves Casualties on Both Sides

Cambodia’s Senate President Hun Sen on Tuesday vowed that his country would carry out a fierce fight against Thailand as a second day of widespread renewed combat between the Southeast Asian neighbors drove tens of thousands of people to flee border areas.

Fighting broke out following a skirmish in which one Thai soldier was killed Sunday night, despite a ceasefire that ended five days of fighting in July over competing territorial claims along their border, which resulted in dozens of civilian and military dead on both sides, and the evacuation of over 100,000 civilians.

In a statement posted to Facebook and Telegram, Hun Sen claimed that his country had refrained from firing back on Monday, but overnight began to shoot back at Thai forces. He wrote that a strategy of concentrating on where Thailand was advancing would allow Cambodia to “to weaken and destroy enemy forces through counterattacks.”

Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said Monday in a televised speech that military operations would be carried out as necessary “to defend the country and protect public safety.”

Cambodia’s military announced Tuesday that the new fighting had killed seven civilians and wounded 20. A spokesperson for the Thai military announced Tuesday that one solder had been killed and 29 wounded in the new fighting.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed concern over the new fighting, especially the use of air strikes and heavy weapons, and called on the warring parties to recommit to the ceasefire.