by Olivier Acuña Barba •Published: July 24, 2025•20:23•2 minutes read
Five Thai soldiers were injured by a Cambodia landmine along the border on Wednesday | Credit: Tong Patong/Shutterstock
Thailand scrambled to bomb F-16 fighters in Cambodia on Thursday after artillery fire from both sides killed at least 12 civilians as border tensions spread between Southeast Asian countries. They placed five ready for action.
Thai superintendent Admiral Konsiri said Cambodia had deployed rocket launchers at the border with his country. “Now we have escalated measures to Level 4,” a military official added, explaining that “includes the complete closure of all border checkpoints along the Thai-Cambodia border.”
A video shared by Reuters saw Thai residents in Surin border province, close to the battle, rushed to hide in a bunker enhanced with punching bags. The two countries are both responsible for starting morning clashes in disputed areas at the border, according to the British news agency. The armed conflict quickly escalated to the intense fires of at least six locations (130 miles) along an area where sovereignty has been contested for over a century.
A collision not seen in 2013
On Wednesday, the conflict rose to levels of armed conflict that was not seen 13 years after Thailand recalls the Phnom Penh ambassador and a second Thai soldier had lost his limbs in a landmine explosion. He was one of five soldiers injured that day. Thai officials have accused Cambodian troops of recently laying out the mines.
Since Cambodian soldiers were killed during a brief clash in May, the two countries have been supported for the conflict, and troops have been strengthened on both sides of the border amid a full-scale diplomatic crisis that has turned Thailand’s vulnerable government into a crisis of collapse.
Thai authorities say 12 people were killed in three states, 11 of whom are civilians, including an eight-year-old boy, and 31 more were injured.
Neighbors called for a break-escalation, saying that Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim would speak to both countries by the end of the day.
A conflict 100 years ago
The conflict between the two countries dates back more than 100 years, when France, which occupied Cambodia until 1953, first mapped the land borders.
The conflict over the border, which stretches for more than 508 miles (817 km), has been frequently erupted over the years, supported by nationalist sentiment.
Cambodia has requested that the International Court of Justice (ICJ) resolve border disputes. However, this is unlikely to lead to a resolution as Thailand rejects jurisdiction of the court.
Iseas – Tita Sangere, assistant fellow at the Yusof Ishak Institute, said China is the only viable external mediator in the conflict.
Cambodia’s head of state, Hun Mane convened an emergency meeting by the UN Security Council to discuss the crisis, accusing Thailand of an “unprovoked military attack.”
