Thousands flee disputed border after deadly clashes and airstrikes

Residents on both sides of the border between Thailand and Cambodia were evacuated on Monday as fresh clashes broke out, leaving at least five people dead.

Each side accuses the other of instigating the violence, which is the most serious confrontation since the two countries agreed to a ceasefire in July.

Thai Prime Minister Anutin Chanwiragul said his country “never wants violence” but would “use necessary means to safeguard sovereignty”, while former Cambodian leader Hun Sen accused Thailand of “invaders” of provoking retaliation.

Escalating tensions between the neighbors have resulted in more than 40 deaths and the imposition of import bans and travel restrictions since May.

On Monday, the Thai army said its troops had responded to Cambodian fires in Thailand’s Ubon Ratchathani province, including launching airstrikes along the disputed border; Phnom Penh’s defense ministry said it first struck Cambodia’s Preah Vihear province.

Monday’s fighting left at least one Thai soldier and four Cambodian civilians dead and about a dozen others wounded, according to officials on both sides.

For Thai teacher Siksaka Pongsuwan, though, there are other hidden victims of the conflict: Children living near the border are “losing opportunities and… precious time” compared to their peers in relatively peaceful cities, he warns.

Thailand’s education minister said nearly 650 schools in five provinces have been ordered to close to ensure safety as new tensions have brewed since Sunday.

Meanwhile, videos on social media showed chaotic scenes at schools in Cambodia’s border provinces as parents scrambled to send their children home.

This is not the first time these children have had their schooling disrupted in recent months.

In July, while children were taking exams, five days of fierce fighting broke out between the two countries.

Pongsuwan’s school has since moved to online classes, but not all students have access to the Internet – some students’ homes don’t have it, and the iPads distributed by the school haven’t reached everyone.

In Cambodia, former journalist Mech Dara shared several clips of children frantically escaping from school on his X account.

“How many times have (these) children been exposed to shocking circumstances?” he wrote. “The senseless fight is giving children horrific nightmares.”

He also shared a photo of a boy still wearing his school uniform eating food in an underground bunker. “Why do this kid and his family have to eat in a bunker…?” he wrote.

Meanwhile, Ponsuwan told the BBC that he and his neighbors were now torn about whether to evacuate – even though gunshots could be heard from time to time in his village.

“If you ask us if we are scared, yes we…should we leave? Would it really be safer? Or should we stay?” he told the BBC.

On the morning of July 24, as Cambodian rockets attacked Thailand, followed by Thai air strikes, the century-old border dispute between Southeast Asian countries escalated sharply.

Days later, Bangkok and Phnom Penh agreed to “Immediate and unconditional ceasefire” Facilitated by Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.

In October, both parties signed ceasefire agreement During a ceremony in Malaysia with US President Donald Trump. At the time, Trump claimed a historic achievement in ending the border conflict.

But just two weeks after the agreement was signed, Thailand said it would suspend implementation of the agreement after two soldiers were injured in a landmine explosion near the Cambodian border.

Cambodia, which nominated Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize for his role in brokering the ceasefire, has repeatedly claimed it is committed to the deal.

Thailand and Cambodia have had territorial disputes over their 800-kilometer land border since France delineated the border after the occupation of Cambodia.

Additional reporting by Jonathan Head and Koh Ewe