Few international tourists visit the area where Thai and Cambodian forces clashed

What you need to know

• Thailand launched airstrikes against Cambodian military targets along their long-disputed border, escalating tensions between the Southeast Asian neighbors. Cambodia said it would “respond decisively.” Hours earlier, military clashes in multiple areas along the border killed civilians in Thailand.

• The strikes come a day after a Thai soldier lost his leg to a landmine on the border, prompting a downgrade of diplomatic ties by both Bangkok and Phnom Penh as relations collapse to their lowest level in years.

• Thailand’s Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra was suspended this month and could face dismissal after the leak of a phone call she had with Cambodia’s powerful former leader Hun Sen, in which she appeared to criticize her army’s actions in the dispute.

• Thailand and Cambodia have a relationship of both cooperation and rivalry. They share a 500-mile (800-kilometer) land border — largely mapped by France when it ruled Cambodia — that has periodically seen military clashes and been the source of political tensions.

Thailand closes border with Cambodia as conflict escalates

From Patrick Sarnsamak in Thailand

Thailand closed its border with Cambodia after conflict between the neighboring countries intensified, according to Thai officials.

“We have escalated the measures to level 4, which involves the complete closure of all border checkpoints along the Thai Cambodian border,” said Rear Admiral Surasant Kongsiri, a spokesperson for Ad Hoc Centre for Thailand-Cambodia Border Situation.

Surasant said Thailand felt “obligated and compelled” to close the border because the situation had escalated.

Cambodia’s prime minister urges UN Security Council to convene urgently to “stop Thailand’s aggression”

From CNN’s Lex Harvey and Len Leng

Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Manet speaks during the 32nd Founding Anniversary of the Royal Gendarmerie at the Royal Gendarmerie Training Centre in Kampong Chhnang province, Cambodia, on July 14.

Stringer/AFP/Getty Images

Cambodia’s Prime Minister has called on the United Nations Security Council to convene an “urgent meeting” to “stop Thailand’s aggression,” after fighting intensified between the neighbors.

Prime Minister Hun Manet said Thai armed forces launched “unprovoked, premeditated and deliberate attacks on Cambodian positions along the border areas,” accusing it of violating international law in a letter to Security Council President Asim Iftikhar Ahmad.

Thailand has accused Cambodia of violating both its sovereignty and international law by laying landmines within Thai territory on the disputed border, and by firing rockets into civilian areas this morning.

Thailand was “prepared to intensify our self-defense measures if Cambodia persists in its armed attack and violations,” its statement said

Death toll in Thailand rises to 11

From CNN’s Kocha Olarn and Lex Harvey

At least 11 civilians have been killed in Cambodia’s attacks in Thailand, the Thai Health Ministry said.

Cambodia has not yet reported any fatalities on its side.

Thailand-Cambodia clash “likely to get worse before it gets better,” analyst says

From CNN’s Rhea Mogul

The conflict between Thailand and Cambodia is “likely to get worse before it gets better,” an analyst said, as relations between the Southeast Asian countries collapse to their lowest level in years.

The next few days could see more “confrontation, clashes, escalation,” Thitinan Pongsudhirak, a professor of political science at Thailand’s Chulalongkorn University, told CNN. “Each side has so much pent-up tension.”

Thailand’s Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra was suspended this month after the leak of a phone call she had with Cambodia’s powerful former leader Hun Sen, in which she appeared to criticize her army’s actions in their long-standing border dispute.

Some background: Hun Sen, who ruled Cambodia with an iron fist for almost 40 years, stepped down in 2023 and handed power to his son Hun Manet. But he remains a hugely influential figure in Cambodian politics: He serves as senate president and was a friend and ally of Paetongtarn’s father, the former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

“(Thailand’s) government is very weak and there’s no unity,” said Pongsudhirak, adding Cambodia is “exploiting divisions in Thailand.”

The border dispute will make the ASEAN regional grouping “even more off balance,” Pongsudhirak said. The grouping, which includes Thailand, Cambodia, Myanmar, among other Southeast Asian countries, has faced challenges and setbacks in recent years, including internal conflicts, territorial disputes, and geopolitical tensions.

Cambodian rocket attack on Thai gas station killed six people, Thai army says

From CNN’s Lex Harvey, Teele Rebane, Kocha Olarn and Patrick Sarnsamak

Six civilians were killed and 10 other people wounded when a Cambodian rocket hit a busy gas station in a Thai village, according to Thailand’s army.

The rocket struck a gas station in the Sisaket province, an army spokesperson said in a statement on Thursday.

Social media videos geolocated by CNN showed several wounded people outside a heavily damaged 7/11 store, with smoke in the background. The store’s entrance was destroyed and its windows were shattered, according to the videos. Several people could be seen running to help a wounded person who was lying in a pick-up truck.

At least nine people have been killed and over a dozen were wounded in Thailand in Cambodian attacks, including an 8-year-old boy, according to the Thai army. Two of the other deaths were in Surin province, while one was in Ubon Ratchathani province.

There was no immediate information about casualties in Cambodia.

They share a 508-mile (817-kilometer) land border — largely mapped by the French when they controlled Cambodia as a colony — that has periodically seen military clashes and been the source of political tensions.

Cambodia has previously sought a ruling from the UN’s International Court of Justice over disputed areas, including the site of the most recent clash.

But Thailand does not recognize the ICJ’s jurisdiction and claims that some areas along the border were never fully demarcated, including the sites of several ancient temples.

In 2011, Thai and Cambodian troops clashed in a nearby area surrounding the 11th-century Preah Vihear temple, a UNESCO world heritage site, displacing thousands of people on both sides and killing at least 20 people.

An injured Thai soldier who stepped on a land mine is airlifted to a hospital in Ubon Ratchathani province, Thailand, on Wednesday.

The Royal Thai Army/AP

Tensions worsened in May when a Cambodian soldier was killed during a brief clash between Thai and Cambodian troops in a contested border area of the Emerald Triangle, where Cambodia, Thailand, and Laos meet.

Thai and Cambodian forces said they were acting in self-defense and blamed the other for the skirmish.

Although military leaders from Thailand and Cambodia said they wished to de-escalate, both sides have since engaged in saber-rattling and reinforced troops along the border.

Thailand took control of border checkpoints, imposed restrictions on crossings and threatened to cut electricity and internet to Cambodia’s border towns. Cambodia, in return, stopped imports of Thai fruit and vegetables and banned Thai movies and TV dramas.

Recent landmine explosions prompted both countries to downgrade relations with each other and recall diplomatic staff.

The first soldier lost his leg in a landmine explosion on July 16. The second incident occurred Wednesday, when a blast injured five Thai soldiers, with one losing his leg. Thursday’s violence marked a significant escalation.

The conflict has had huge political ramifications in Thailand.

Thailand’s Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra was suspended from duties on July 1 after the leak of a phone call she had with Cambodia’s powerful former leader Hun Sen in June, in which she appeared to criticize her own army’s actions in the dispute.

Shinawatra hails from a powerful dynasty and became Thailand’s youngest prime minister last year, at just 38. She could face full dismissal over the call, in which she appeared to signal there was discord between her government and the powerful Thai military.

The area where Thai and Cambodian forces clashed today, near the ancient Ta Muen Thom Temple, is not considered a popular destination for international travelers.

The temple lies in disputed territory in the south of Thailand’s Surin province and in Cambodia’s northwest. It’s about 250 miles (400 kilometers) northeast of the Thai capital Bangkok and a five-to-six-hour drive by car.

Surin’s airport does not currently serve commercial flights. The nearest airport offering daily connections with Bangkok is in neighboring Buriram province, about an hour’s drive from downtown Surin and 90 minutes from the temple.

The Tourism Authority of Thailand has increased efforts to promote the country’s northeast in recent years, highlighting its unique cuisine, festivals and ancient sites. The region comprises 20 provinces, including Buriram and Surin, and is collectively referred to as Isan.

Unlike Thailand’s north, home to popular destinations such as Chiang Mai, Pai and Chiang Rai, Isan has remained off the radar for the bulk of the millions of international tourists who visit the country each year.

At least eight people in Thailand have been killed in clashes with Cambodia today, Thai police said.

A rocket hit a convenience store in Ban Nam Yen, about 12 miles (20 kilometers) from the border with Cambodia, District Chief of Kantharalak District, Sisaket Province, told Thai public broadcaster PBS.

Thailand accused Cambodian troops of firing two BM-21 rockets into a civilian area in Kap Choeng district, in Surin province, wounding three civilians.

Thailand’s Foreign Ministry said Cambodian attacks on civilian areas continued throughout Thursday, including at the Phanom Dong Rak Hospital.

Cambodia previously said a Thai F-16 fighter jet dropped two bombs on a road. There was no immediate information on casualties on the Cambodian side.

A Cambodian BM-21 multiple rocket launcher returns from the Cambodia-Thai border as Cambodian and Thai troops exchanged fire in a new round of clashes in Preah Vihear province on Thursday.

Stringer/AFP/Getty Images

Clashes have been reported along the entire length of the disputed frontier between Cambodia and Thailand, military officials said.

Thai military officials said clashes, involving small arms and heavy weapons, have since spread along the frontline affecting a total of six locations. This includes sites in Surin province, Sisaket and Ubon Ratchathani.

The violence began Thursday morning local time at the ancient, disputed Ta Muen Thom temple site in Thailand’s Surin province, but it is also claimed by Cambodia. Both countries accused their neighbor of firing the first salvo.

Though Cambodia hasn’t acknowledged all six locations, its Defense Ministry said all affected areas “are within Cambodian territory … and are actively protected by Cambodian forces.”

Members of the Thai army take part in a ceremony in Saraburi province, Thailand on January 18, 2023.

Chaiwat Subprasom/SOPA Images/LightRocket/Getty Images/File

Thailand’s military dwarfs that of neighboring Cambodia, both in personnel and weaponry.

Thailand’s 361,000 active-duty personnel spread across all branches of its military is three times Cambodia’s manpower.

And Thailand is far ahead of Cambodia when it comes to weaponry.

The US classes Thailand as a major non-NATO ally, the IISS notes. That has enabled it to enjoy decades of US support for its weapons programs, although it has also boosted ties with China in recent years and has developed a strong domestic weapons industry with the help of countries such as Israel, Italy, Russia, South Korea and Sweden, the report said.

The air force’s equipment includes at least 11 modern Swedish Gripen fighter jets and dozens of older US-made F-16 and F-5 jets, according to the IISS. Cambodia has no combat-capable air force.

On the ground, Thailand has dozens of battle tanks, including 60 modern, Chinese-made VT-4 tanks, and hundreds of older, US-made tanks. Cambodia has around 200 old Chinese- and Soviet-made tanks, the “Military Balance” shows.

The Thai army boasts more than 600 artillery pieces, including at least 56 powerful 155mm weapons and more than 550 105mm towed guns. Cambodia has only a dozen 155mm guns with around 400 smaller towed artillery pieces, according to IISS figures.

In the air, the Thai army has US-made Cobra attack helicopters and 18 US Black Hawk transports. Cambodia has only a few dozen older Soviet and Chinese transport helicopters.

Thailand’s armed forces are also regular participants in international military exercises, most prominently the annual Cobra Gold exercises, which Bangkok co-hosts with the US Indo-Pacific Command. Cobra Gold began in 1982 as joint drills with the US, but has added dozens of other participants since then. It’s the longest-running international military exercise in the world, according to the US military.

Local vehicles pass the Thai Embassy in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on Thursday.

Heng Sinith/AP

The Thai embassy in the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh is urging its citizens to leave the country “as soon as possible” as border clashes intensify, warning that the conflict “is likely to be prolonged and may expand further.”

The embassy also advised against any non-essential travel to Cambodia.

Cambodia’s Defense Ministry has confirmed that Thailand’s airstrikes hit its territory, and said it would “respond decisively.”

Thailand said it had readied six F-16 jets, and later claimed to have “destroyed” two Cambodian regional military headquarters.

Cambodia denounced what it described as Thailand’s “brutal, barbaric and violent military aggression,” its statement said.

Hours before Thailand deployed F-16 fighter jets against Cambodian military targets, armed clashes between Thai and Cambodian forces broke out along the border on Thursday, according to military officials.

They began early morning when Thailand’s military said Cambodian troops fired at a Thai army base in an area near the ancient Ta Muen Thom Temple – which lies in disputed territory in the south of Thailand’s Surin province and in Cambodia’s northwest. It said Cambodia had deployed an unmanned drone in front of the temple before sending troops in with weapons.

It also accused Cambodian troops of firing heavy weapons into a civilian area in the nearby Kap Choeng district, in Surin province.

A Cambodian Defense Ministry spokesperson said their troops had acted in self-defense after an unprovoked incursion from Thai soldiers.

Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Manet said in a post on Facebook that Thailand attacked army positions at two temple sites in its Oddar Meanchey province, as well as in Cambodia’s Preah Vihear province and Thailand’s Ubon Ratchathani province.

Hun Manet also called on Cambodian citizens to remain calm.

At least two Thai soldiers were injured on Thursday, Reuters reported, citing a Thai army official.

Two hospitals in Thailand’s Surin province near the site of the clash have begun evacuating patients, according to Thailand’s ministry of public health. 

Thailand has deployed fighter jets against Cambodian military targets along their disputed border, in a dramatic escalation of tensions that threatens to erupt into a broader conflict.

The attack comes a day after a Thai soldier lost his leg in a landmine explosion, an incident that saw relations between the two Southeast Asian neighbors collapse to their lowest level in years.

Thailand’s 2nd regional military command in the northeast said on Facebook that F-16 fighter jets had been deployed. It also claimed to have “destroyed” two Cambodian regional military headquarters.

Thailand’s Deputy Army spokesperson Col. Richa Suksuwanont said the airstrikes were aimed only at military targets.

There was no immediate confirmation from the Cambodian side.

Armed clashes between Thai and Cambodian forces had broken out along the disputed border earlier on Thursday, according to military officials, wounding civilians and prompting the evacuation of residents in Thailand.