By Euronews with AP
Published on
•Updated
ADVEReadNOWISEMENT
Cambodia’s UN Ambassador called for an “immediate, unconditional” ceasefire with Thailand on Friday after the dispute between the two countries entered its third day.
So far, at least 30 people have been killed, including civilians, and thousands have been forced to flee their homes.
The UN Security Council held an emergency meeting behind closed doors late Friday in New York, with all 15 members calling on the parties to de-escalate, show restraint and resolve the dispute peacefully.
“We also call for the peaceful solution to the dispute,” said Chhea Keo.
He responded to accusations that Cambodia attacked Thailand, asking how a small country with no air force could attack a much larger country with an army three times its size, stressing, “We do not do that.”
Thailand’s UN ambassador left the meeting without stopping to talk to reporters.
But Thailand’s acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai said Friday that Cambodia may be guilty of war crimes due to the deaths of civilians and damage caused to a hospital. He said Thailand had exercised the “utmost restraint and patience in the face of provocations and aggression” from Cambodia.
Tensions over a disputed border area erupted into fighting after a land mine explosion along the border wounded five Thai soldiers on Wednesday.
Clashes break out across border areas
The Thai military reported clashes early Friday in multiple areas along the border, including near the ancient Ta Muen Thom temple claimed by both sides.
The Thai army said Cambodian forces had used heavy artillery and Russian-made BM-21 rocket launchers, prompting what Thai officials described as “appropriate supporting fire” in return.
Thailand said six of its soldiers and 13 civilians were killed, while 29 soldiers and 30 civilians were wounded.
Early Saturday, Cambodian General Maly Socheata, spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defence, told reporters Saturday that seven more civilians and five soldiers have died from two days of fighting. It earlier reported one fatality — a man who was killed when the pagoda he was hiding in got hit by Thai rockets.
The Cambodian Education Ministry claimed that on Friday two Thai rockets had hit a school compound in Oddar Meanchey but caused no injuries. It said all schools in the province have been closed.
The Thai army denied it targeted civilian sites in Cambodia, and accused Cambodia of using “human shields” by positioning their weapons near residential areas.
The 800-kilometre frontier between Thailand and Cambodia has been disputed for decades, but past confrontations have been limited and brief. The last major flare-up in 2011 left 20 dead.