Thailand, Cambodia clash with jets and rockets in deadly border row

Thailand, Cambodia clash with jets and rockets in deadly border row

A Cambodian police officer stands guard in front of the Thai embassy in Phnom Penh

Thailand and Cambodia fought their bloodiest military clashes in more than a decade on Thursday, with at least 12 people killed as the two sides battled with tanks, artillery and ground forces over a disputed border zone.

The fighting marks a dramatic escalation in a long-running spat between the neighbours -- both popular destinations for millions of foreign tourists -- over an area known as the Emerald Triangle, where the borders of both countries and Laos meet.

The decades-old squabble flared into bloody clashes more than 15 years ago and again in May, when a Cambodian soldier was killed in a firefight.

In Thursday's clashes, Cambodia fired rockets and artillery shells into Thailand and the Thai military scrambled F-16 jets to carry out air strikes.

The Thai public health ministry said one soldier and at least 11 civilians were killed, most of them in a rocket strike near a petrol station in Sisaket province.

Footage from the scene showed smoke pouring from a convenience store attached to the petrol station. Provincial officials said most of the dead were students who were inside the shop when the attack happened.

"I heard a loud noise three or four times, and when I looked over, there was a gigantic cloud of smoke," Praphas Intaracheun, a 53-year-old gardener from Sisaket, told AFP.

He was refuelling at another petrol station around 300 metres (328 yards) from the one that was hit.

"I'm scared it might escalate during the night when you can't see anything. I don't even dare sleep," he said.

Thailand said 35 people have been wounded, and accused Cambodia of targeting civilian buildings.

A 30-bed hospital in the town of Phanom Dong Rak in Surin province, just 15 kilometres (nine miles) from the border, was hit by shells which shattered windows and collapsed part of a roof.

The facility, which was also struck in the last major clashes between the two countries in 2011, was partially evacuated on Wednesday night as a precaution. 

"We got a tip that there would be an attack from Cambodia," a soldier stationed at the entrance told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity for security reasons. 

"There is no telling when it will be safe enough for patients to return."

- 'My house was shaking' -

Fighting was focused on six locations, the Thai army said, with ground troops and tanks battling Cambodian forces for control of territory.

Six Thai air force jets were deployed, hitting two "Cambodian military targets on the ground", according to Thai military deputy spokesperson Ritcha Suksuwanon.

Cambodia has not yet commented on casualties on its side. Defence ministry spokeswoman Maly Socheata refused to answer when asked about the issue at a news conference.

AFP journalists met Cambodians fleeing their villages near the Thai border to escape the fighting.

"We dare not to stay, they were fighting so bad that my house was shaking," Say Vuthy, 36, told AFP.

"We already dug a bunker but we dared not stay because we were scared that they will keep fighting at night."

Both sides blame the other for starting the fighting, which erupted near two temples on the border.

At the request of

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet, the UN Security Council will hold an emergency meeting on Friday to discuss the deadly clashes, diplomatic sources told AFP.

Thailand's embassy in Phnom Penh urged its nationals to leave Cambodia "as soon as possible".

Both the European Union and China, a close ally of Phnom Penh, said they were "deeply concerned" about the clashes, calling for dialogue.

The United States and France -- Cambodia's former colonial ruler -- also called separately for an immediate halt to fighting and for talks to begin.

- Long-running row -

The violence came hours after Thailand expelled the Cambodian ambassador and recalled its own envoy after five members of a Thai military patrol were wounded by a landmine.

Cambodia downgraded ties to "the lowest level" on Thursday, pulling out all but one of its diplomats and expelling their Thai equivalents from Phnom Penh.

The border row also kicked off a domestic political crisis in Thailand, where Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has been suspended from office pending an ethics probe over her conduct.

A diplomatic call between Paetongtarn and Hun Sen, Cambodia's former longtime ruler and father of Hun Manet, was leaked from the Cambodian side, sparking a judicial investigation.

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Originally published as Thailand, Cambodia clash with jets and rockets in deadly border row