The most serious escalations between Thailand and Cambodia in over a decade, a deadly border conflict has erupted into full-scale violence, leaving scores dead and forcing tens of thousands to flee their homes. With each side accusing the other of deliberate provocation and civilian targeting, the fragile ties between the two Southeast Asian neighbours are quickly unravelling into one of the region’s most complex diplomatic and humanitarian challenges.
On Friday (July 25), Thailand’s ambassador to the United Nations, Cherdchai Chaivaivid, accused Cambodia of evading peace efforts and engaging in a dangerous campaign of “indiscriminate and inhumane attacks” against Thai civilians. In a closed-door session of the UN Security Council in New York, the ambassador sharply criticised Phnom Penh’s conduct, stating that Thailand had tried “every available bilateral channel” to avoid conflict but was left with no choice but to respond in self-defence.
“It is deeply regrettable that Cambodia has deliberately avoided meaningful dialogue and instead sought to internationalise the issue to serve its own political objectives,” Cherdchai said, as per a statement published by the Thai foreign ministry on Saturday morning.
The conflict erupted into its deadliest phase on Thursday, when Cambodian artillery allegedly targeted a Thai military outpost in Ta Muen Thom, Surin province. Thailand claims the shelling was followed by coordinated ground incursions and attacks on civilian areas in four separate provinces. In response, the Thai military launched retaliatory airstrikes, deploying F-16 fighter jets to strike what it described as “legitimate military targets” within Cambodian territory.
In the Thai border province of Sisaket, university campuses have been converted into shelters to accommodate the growing number of displaced civilians. Over 138,000 people have now been evacuated from the Thai side, and on the Cambodian side, the numbers are no less grim. According to Phnom Penh’s defence ministry, more than 35,000 Cambodians have been forced to flee their homes amid ongoing bombardments.
Samrong Khamduang, 51, left her farm near the border with her daughter and grandchildren after artillery fire hit her village. “We got so scared with the sound of artillery,” she said from a crowded temporary shelter. Her husband, who stayed behind to tend to livestock, has not been reachable since. “I don’t know what is happening back there. We’ve lost contact completely.”
Thailand’s health ministry has reported 15 fatalities, including 14 civilians and one soldier, with 46 wounded, among them 15 troops. Cambodia, for its part, has reported 13 deaths — five soldiers and eight civilians.
While the Security Council meeting was held behind closed doors, the tone of Cherdchai’s remarks — later released publicly — underscored the severity with which Bangkok views the conflict.
“This act of aggression, unlawful and indiscriminate, has caused serious harms and sufferings to innocent civilians,” Cherdchai said. He showed photographs of civilian casualties, destroyed infrastructure, and shelled schools and hospitals to the Council members, according to the Thai foreign ministry’s briefing.
The ambassador went further, accusing Cambodia of breaching the Geneva Convention and the UN Charter by targeting non-combatants and civilian facilities. He insisted that Thailand had exercised “utmost restraint” but was left with no option other than “limited and proportionate” defensive action.
Crucially, Cherdchai acknowledged Thailand’s use of controversial cluster munitions — banned under international law by many countries — but defended their use as being “strictly limited to military targets.”
“All measures are directed at legitimate military targets, with every effort made to avoid civilian harm,” he said.
Cambodia, meanwhile, maintains that it is the aggrieved party. Its UN ambassador, Chhea Keo, told reporters that Cambodia had unconditionally called for an immediate ceasefire and urged peaceful resolution.
Phnom Penh has responded by accusing Thailand of unprovoked aggression and cultural desecration, claiming Thai military operations damaged ancient heritage sites including Preah Vihear Temple — a UNESCO World Heritage site located in a long-disputed border region. Cambodia’s claims were swiftly rejected by Thailand, with Cherdchai calling them “baseless, regrettable and profoundly disappointing.”
“This amounts to the dissemination of disinformation aimed at rallying international sympathy,” the Thai envoy asserted.
The border dispute has long simmered under the surface. While violence has erupted sporadically over the years — notably in 2008 and 2011 — this is the worst eruption since those years, now intensified by mutual distrust and regional instability.
Despite the deepening crisis, ASEAN — the Association of Southeast Asian Nations — has thus far failed to assert any effective mediation. Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who currently chairs ASEAN, has urged both sides to agree to a ceasefire, noting that even as fighting continued, he had instructed his foreign minister to pursue further dialogue.
“There is still some exchange of fire,” Anwar told reporters in Kuala Lumpur, as per state news agency Bernama. “I will continue engaging with them myself – at least to halt the fighting.”
While Cambodia has expressed support for the ASEAN ceasefire initiative, Thailand has been more cautious, indicating only a “principled agreement” to the idea, contingent on Cambodian behaviour.
Thai Foreign Minister Maris Sangiampongsa doubled down on Bangkok’s position on Saturday, stating that any ceasefire proposal required “genuine sincerity” from Cambodia.
“I urge Cambodia to stop violating Thai sovereignty and to return to resolving the issue through bilateral dialogue,” Maris said.
His message was echoed by former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who remains an influential voice in national politics. Visiting evacuation shelters near the border, Thaksin gave his support to the military’s ongoing operations.
“The military needs to complete its operations before any dialogue can take place,” he said. “We cannot talk peace with someone who continues to shell our villages.”
Thaksin also took a swipe at former Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, calling his conduct “disturbed” and rejecting the notion of direct talks with the veteran leader, who maintains substantial influence in Cambodia despite formally stepping down.
“His actions reflect a disturbed mindset. He should reflect on his conduct,” Thaksin told reporters.
At the heart of the crisis lies the long-standing dispute over a stretch of land near the Preah Vihear and Ta Muen Thom temples, two ancient Khmer complexes that sit near the undemarcated Thai-Cambodian border. In 1962, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) awarded the Preah Vihear temple to Cambodia, but Thailand has challenged the interpretation of the surrounding territory.
Although both sides have periodically attempted to set up joint commissions and border survey panels, those efforts have faltered amid domestic political turmoil in each country and resurgent nationalism.
The current outbreak of violence follows months of increased military posturing along the border, and a particularly volatile incident in May — when a Cambodian soldier was killed in what Phnom Penh called an “ambush” by Thai troops — appears to have triggered the spiral into open warfare.
Despite agreements on paper to resolve disputes through the so-called Joint Boundary Commission, no permanent demarcation has been implemented. This lack of clarity continues to be exploited by both governments, especially in times of domestic political stress.
With the UN Security Council now seized of the matter, there is growing international concern that the conflict could spiral further, drawing in proxy actors or even leading to a broader regional conflagration.
So far, no formal resolution has been proposed at the UN, although diplomatic sources suggest that Indonesia and Vietnam — both ASEAN members — are quietly working behind the scenes to mediate.
China and the United States, both of which maintain strong ties to both countries, have urged restraint but stopped short of taking sides.
Analysts warn that unless a credible mediation framework is urgently established, the risk of further civilian casualties and long-term regional destabilisation will grow exponentially.
“Both sides are locked in a toxic mix of nationalism and mistrust,” said Dr. Warangkana Suthichai, a Southeast Asian affairs expert at Chulalongkorn University. “Without third-party mediation, we are likely to see more deaths, more destruction, and a weakening of ASEAN’s credibility as a peacekeeping body.”
