Fighting is again raging along the long-disputed border region between Thailand and Cambodia, raising concerns for British tourists.
As many as 12 people, including an eight-year-old boy, have been killed in the armed clashes – centred in the Thai Surin province and the Cambodian Oddar Meanchey province – with both sides blaming each other for firing the first shot.
An F-16 jet has been deployed by Thailand, firing into Cambodia multiple times and destroying a military target. Meanwhile, artillery and rockets have been fired from the Cambodian side.
This conflict has been simmering for months – with diplomatic relations deteriorating – and in fact the dispute over the region goes back almost a century.
Thailand-Cambodia conflict at a glance
Clashes have again erupted between Thailand and Cambodia over a long-running border dispute.
The Foreign Office has issued further travel advice to British citizens in Thailand.
A dozen people have been killed, including a boy, aged eight, and a teenager, aged 15, in Thailand.
Both sides have accused the other of firing the first shot.
No one knows if it will boil over and into a full-blown war – but Cambodia has confirmed that it will start military conscription as early as next year.
With scarce information available about the situation, Metro has prepared an explainer for those on the ground and those monitoring it from far away.
Why are Thailand and Cambodia fighting?
At the heart of the conflict are differing interpretations of the colonial-era maps drawn more than a century ago by the French – who once colonised Cambodia – and by Siam (modern-day Thailand).
Cambodia has been using the 1907 map as a reference to claim territory, but Thailand has argued it was never officially accepted.
This ambiguity led to a ruling by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in 1962, which awarded the land and the 11th-century temple Preah Vihear to Cambodia.
What has led to today’s clashes?
Border disputes have long caused tensions between the two neighbours – but nationalist movements have further inflamed them.
Relations hit rock-bottom in May after a Cambodian soldier was killed in an armed confrontation in a disputed border area.
On Thursday, Cambodia downgraded diplomatic relations with Thailand to their lowest level, expelling the Thai ambassador and recalling Cambodian staff from its embassy in Bangkok.
The day before, its neighbour also withdrew its ambassador and expelled the top Cambodian diplomat in protest after five Thai soldiers who were wounded in a land mine blast, one of whom lost part of a leg.
Thailand has since shut all its border points with its neighbour.
What we know so far about the Thailand-Cambodia conflict
Fighting first broke out near the Khmer Hindu temple Ta Muen Thom, along the border of Thailand’s Surin province and Cambodia’s Oddar Meanchey province.
The Thai military said Cambodian soldiers had opened fire near the temple, and deployed a surveillance drone. Additional forces – armed with heavy weapons, including BM-21 rocket launchers and artillery – were deployed shortly after.
Both sides claimed they were acting in self-defence and blamed the other for the skirmish.
So far, 11 Thai civilians and one soldier have been killed, including a boy, aged eight, and a teenager, aged 15.
Most people were killed in a rocket attack near a supermarket and a gas station in Sisaket province. Another 14 people have also been injured.
It remains unclear if there are any fatalities on the Cambodian side as the government has remained tight-lipped about its losses.
Is it safe to travel to Thailand and Cambodia? Latest Foreign Office travel advice
Both nations attract large numbers of British tourists every year, but it is unclear how many citizens are in each country currently.
The Foreign Office has urged travellers from the UK to ‘take extra care and stay alert in border areas’, saying: ‘Take extra care and stay alert in border areas and follow the instructions of local authorities, especially at tourist destinations such as the Preah Vihear temple, the Ta Kwai temple and the Ta Muen Thom temple.
‘There are also unexploded landmines in the border area. Stay on marked paths, especially around Ta Krabey.’
The FCDO confirmed that land borders and crossings between Cambodia and Thailand are temporarily suspended.
Separately, the UK advises against all but essential travel to parts of the south, near the Thailand-Malaysia border, including the Pattani Province, Yala Province, Narathiwat Province and southern Songkhla Province – south of the A43 road between Hat Yai and Sakom, and south of the train line which runs between Hat Yai and Padang Besar.
FCDO also advises against all but essential travel on the Hat Yai to Padang Besar train line that runs through these provinces.
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