Why would the Cambodians attack a 7/11 store, prompting the Thai side to send four F-16 to retaliate? Is this the "ASEAN Way?"
Border tensions erupt
Govt calls on world to condemn attack
PUBLISHED : 25 Jul 2025 at 05:00
NEWSPAPER SECTION: News
WRITER: Poramet Tangsathaporn
0:00 / 5:02
Thailand is calling on the international community to condemn Cambodia's attack on civilian targets in the country, which resulted in the deaths of at least 11 people.
As Thai and Cambodian forces traded fire along the border on Thursday, government spokesman Jirayu Houngsub insisted that Cambodia was the one who fired the first shot, before condemning the neighbouring country as "inhumane" and "war-hungry".
The army said the confrontation began after Cambodian troops opened fire on Thai positions near the ancient Ta Muean Thom temple in Surin's Phanom Dong Rak district, which is located along the border.
The clashes subsequently spread to six other areas along the Thai-Cambodian border in the province.
Public Health Minister Somsak Thepsutin said at least 12 Thai citizens -- 11 civilians and one soldier -- were killed in the clashes, while about 30 others sustained various injuries. However, Acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai said the attacks resulted in 11 deaths -- 10 civilians and one soldier -- and 28 injuries, including 24 civilians and four military personnel.
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A grandmother weeps while carrying her 8-year-old grandson to hospital after Cambodia fired a rocket into their home in Kap Choeng district, Surin, killing two family members including the boy and injuring two others. ARMY MILITARY FORCE FACEBOOK
Military sources said Cambodian troops have placed multiple-launch rocket systems along the border. They claimed the rocket launchers are pointed towards populated areas, which could worsen the humanitarian impact of the conflict.
In response to the bombardment of Thai homes by Cambodian artillery, the Thai armed forces launched a targeted air operation, with F-16 fighter jets deployed to strike two Cambodian command centres to disperse enemy forces.
The border conflict intensified throughout Thursday, with Cambodian forces firing artillery rounds at about 10 locations in four Thai provinces: Si Sa Ket, Buri Ram, Ubon Ratchathani, and Surin.
Thai authorities are currently assessing the full scale of the damage, and emergency services have been mobilised to assist affected communities.
Official response
Mr Jirayu said the Foreign Affairs Ministry will be lodging formal protests with international organisations in response to Cambodia's hostile actions.
He insisted that Cambodian forces initiated the conflict, and blasted their continued use of heavy weaponry against civilian targets.
"We call upon the international community to condemn Cambodia's actions. Cambodia has shown itself to be a nation driven by a hunger for war, with complete disregard for human rights and humanitarian principles of any kind," he said.
The Royal Thai Army has also strongly condemned Cambodia's actions, in particular, its use of force against civilians in Thai territory, saying the strikes constituted a grave breach of international humanitarian principles.
In the statement, the military reaffirmed its commitment to defending national sovereignty and protecting Thai citizens from any act of aggression.
Suspended Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra also took to her Facebook page to condemn Cambodia's attacks.
"I condemn Cambodia for the use of violence and act of aggression along the Thai border, by which the Cambodian side initiated the use of arms and fired into Thai territory -- impacting both officials and innocent civilians. Such action constitutes a clear violation of international legal norms, especially fundamental human rights and ethical principles," she said in her post.
F-16s strike back
In response to Cambodia's aggression, the Royal Thai Armed Forces (RTAF) deployed F-16 fighter jets to support ground operations along the Thai–Cambodian border.
According to military sources, six jets carried out precision strikes targeting Cambodian artillery positions shelling Thai civilian areas. Specifically, the operation focused on two key Cambodian military installations: the 8th Support Regiment Headquarters and the 9th Support Regiment, which were being used as command centres to coordinate attacks on Thai villages.
The air operation, lasting 20 minutes, was successfully completed without incident. All six F-16 aircraft safely returned to their base.
Around 11.40am, Thai ground forces blocked off a key access route leading up to Phu Makuea in Si Sa Ket to prevent further incursions.
At 4.40pm, the RTAF ordered another airstrike, deploying four F-16 fighter jets to hit Cambodian military positions near the disputed Ta Muean Thom temple in Phanom Dong Rak district, Surin.
According to the sources, the jets successfully hit their designated targets in the southern sector of the temple, and all aircraft returned safely to base following the mission.
This marks a significant escalation in the ongoing tensions between Thailand and Cambodia, which have intensified following earlier clashes and accusations of landmine placements and attacks on civilian targets.
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Why Are Thailand and Cambodia Fighting? Here’s a Quick Guide.
The countries traded fire on Thursday, and Thailand said at least 12 people had been killed. Cambodia did not immediately comment on any casualties.
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July 24, 2025Updated 10:09 p.m. ET
Cambodia and Thailand exchanged fire on Thursday, killing at least 12 people, after months of rising tension over the shared border between the two Southeast Asian countries.
The border tensions have already contributed to a political crisis in Thailand: On July 1 a Thai court suspended the prime minister, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, because of comments she made about the dispute, which goes back decades.
This conflict may prove to be a diplomatic opportunity for China. It is the largest trading partner for both Thailand and Cambodia, and has increased its influence in the region at a time when governments in Southeast Asia are becoming wary of the United States.
Here’s what to know:
What happened at the border on Thursday?
Each nation accused the other of firing first.
The Thai Army said that Cambodia had fired rockets into civilian areas in four Thai provinces, prompting Thailand to send F-16 fighter jets to strike targets in Cambodia.
Cambodian officials said that Thai soldiers had opened fire on Cambodian troops first, at Prasat Ta Muen Thom, a temple claimed by both nations. They said Cambodian forces returned fire some 15 minutes later.
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Thailand’s Ministry of Public Health said the clashes had killed at least 11 Thai civilians and one soldier, and injured 24 civilians and seven soldiers.
Thousands of residents fled the area.
Cambodian officials did not immediately confirm reports of casualties.
Why was Thailand’s prime minister suspended?
In June, Ms. Paetongtarn called Hun Sen, Cambodia’s de facto leader, to discuss the escalating border tensions. Mr. Hun Sen has close ties with her father, Thaksin Shinawatra, a former prime minister of Thailand and the leader of a powerful political dynasty, as well as one of the country’s richest men.
Mr. Hun Sen posted a recording of their call, in which Ms. Paetongtarn seemed to disparage Thailand’s powerful military and take a deferential tone. She called Mr. Hun Sen “uncle” and told him that she would “arrange” anything he wanted.
In response, thousands of protesters took to the streets of Bangkok to express their outrage. Although Ms. Paetongtarn apologized, she has faced pressure to resign less than a year after taking office.
In early July, a Thai court suspended her.
Why is Prasat Ta Muen Thom important?
The ownership of Prasat Ta Muen Thom, an ancient temple on the Thai side of the border, is disputed by the two countries. Mr. Hun Sen claimed in a social media post that a Thai military commander had “started this war” by ordering the closure of the temple on Wednesday, and opening fire on Cambodian troops the next day.
Thailand has accused Cambodia of starting the conflict.
The temple is in the Surin region of Thailand, and people there speak Khmer as well as Thai — highlighting the cultural overlap with Cambodia, where Khmer is the official language. The province is known for ruins from the Khmer Empire, which lasted from the ninth to the 15th century. One such ruin is Prasat Ta Muen Thom.
Arguments about where the border should be, and who owns the temples in the region, have led to decades of disputes, which international courts have failed to resolve.
In 1962, the International Court of Justice awarded Cambodia sovereignty over the Preah Vihear Temple, another temple about 95 miles away.
In 2013, the court, the top judicial body of the United Nations, tried to clarify the 1962 decision. It said that Cambodia had sovereignty over the immediate area around the temple, but it left unresolved who controlled a larger disputed area.
Military clash on the Cambodia-Thailand border
200 mi.
300 km.
By Marco Hernandez
What is China’s role?
China is both countries’ largest trading partner and has invested heavily in infrastructure in each. In Thailand, it is helping the government build a railway to connect Bangkok and southwestern China. In Cambodia, China is building a huge airport and has financed the construction of government buildings and of the country’s first-ever expressway.
At the same time, American influence in the region has been questioned, as the United States has threatened to impose steep tariffs on imports from both Thailand and Cambodia.
This month, China’s foreign minister, Wang Yi, met with Cambodia’s deputy prime minister and criticized the U.S. tariffs as “an attempt to deprive all parties of their legitimate rights to development,” according to a Chinese government readout.
Mr. Wang also promised to play a “constructive role” in negotiations between Cambodia and Thailand in their border dispute.
On Thursday, a spokesman for China’s Foreign Ministry said the Chinese government was “deeply concerned” about the skirmishes. He said that Thailand and Cambodia were China’s “friendly neighbors,” and added that Beijing had been working to facilitate talks.
How old is the conflict between Thailand and Cambodia?
The two countries have had occasional military clashes and nationalist rivalries for hundreds of years. The border disputes can be traced back to a 1907 map created during French colonial rule in Cambodia. The two countries interpret the map differently.
Military fighting has broken out intermittently since 2008, but the last time that a major clash turned deadly was in 2011.
Here is a timeline of the tensions.
Vivian Wang, Sui-Lee Wee, Matthew Mpoke Bigg and Pranav Baskar contributed reporting.
Amelia Nierenberg is a Times reporter covering international news from London.
Thailand-Cambodia border dispute: 100,000 Thai civilians evacuated amid second day of clashes
Thai interior ministry says people from four border provinces moved to shelters as authorities say death toll from conflict has risen to 14
Guardian staff and agencies
Fri 25 Jul 2025 03.21 BST
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Thailand evacuated more than 100,000 people along the Cambodian border, it said on Friday, as the two countries fight their bloodiest military clashes in over a decade.
The interior ministry said 100,672 people from four border provinces had been moved to shelters, while the health ministry announced the death toll had risen to 14.
Thailand scrambled an F-16 fighter jet to bomb targets in Cambodia on Thursday after artillery volleys from both sides killed at least 11 civilians.
Both blamed each other for starting a morning clash at a disputed area of the border, which quickly escalated from small arms fire to heavy shelling in at least six locations 209km (130 miles) apart along a frontier where sovereignty has been disputed for more than a century.
On Friday morning, the Thai army said in a statement that clashes started at 4am in the border areas of Chong Bok and Phu Makhuea in Ubon Ratchathani Province, as well as in Phanom Dong Rak District, Surin Province. It said Cambodian forces were using heavy weapons including artillery and rockets and that Thai forces were responding.
The worst fighting between the countries in 13 years came after Thailand on Wednesday recalled its ambassador to Phnom Penh and expelled Cambodia’s envoy in response to a second Thai soldier losing a limb to a landmine that Bangkok alleged had been laid recently by rival troops, an accusation Cambodia called baseless.
Thailand said there were 14 fatalities, including an eight-year-old boy. Authorities said 31 people were hurt on Thursday.
“We condemn this – using heavy weapons without a clear target, outside of conflict zones … the use of force and did not adhere to international law,” Thailand’s acting prime minister, Phumtham Wechayachai, told reporters.
“We remain committed to peaceful means and there should be discussions, but what happened was a provocation and we had to defend ourselves.”
Thailand’s health minister, Somsak Thepsuthin, said a hospital was hit by shelling in Surin province, an attack he said should be considered “a war crime”.
Cambodian government, defence and foreign ministry officials gave no indication of fatalities sustained or any estimate of the number of people evacuated.
The UN security council was due to meet on Friday over the conflict.
The US, a longtime treaty ally of Thailand, called for an immediate end to hostilities.
“We are … gravely concerned by the escalating violence along the Thailand-Cambodia border and deeply saddened by reports of harm to civilians,” the state department’s deputy spokesperson, Tommy Pigott, told a regular news briefing.
“The United States urges an immediate cessation of hostilities, protection of civilians and a peaceful resolution of the conflict.”
Britain’s foreign ministry on Thursday advised against all but essential travel to parts of Cambodia and Thailand.
With Agence France-Presse and Reuters