Large-Scale Clash Feared on Thailand-Cambodia Border; Death Toll Rises to 32, Over 150 Injured
[26 July 2025] — Cambodian authorities reported that 12 more people have been killed in ongoing border clashes with Thailand, bringing the total death toll to 32. Analysts warn that the two Southeast Asian neighbors may be on the brink of a prolonged conflict.
On Saturday, Cambodian Defense Ministry spokesperson Mali Sochieta told reporters that seven more civilians and five soldiers had been killed. Earlier on Thursday, a Cambodian man sheltering at a Buddhist temple was killed by a Thai rocket strike.
Sochieta also confirmed that at least 50 civilians and more than 20 soldiers have been injured so far.
Thailand reported that over the past two days, 13 civilians – including children – and six soldiers have died. Another 29 Thai soldiers and 30 civilians have been injured by Cambodian attacks.
According to Cambodian newspaper The Khmer Times, local authorities in Preah Vihear province have relocated approximately 20,000 residents from northern areas near the Thai border.
Thai officials stated that over 138,000 people have been evacuated from Thai border regions and nearly 300 emergency shelters have been set up. On Friday, the Thai government declared martial law in eight border districts.
The long-standing border dispute—centered around a contested territory—flared up violently again on Thursday when an explosion injured five Thai troops, prompting both sides to exchange cross-border attacks and accuse each other of firing first.
The Thai government accused Cambodian forces of launching long-range rocket attacks on civilian targets, including a petrol station strike that killed at least six people.
In retaliation, the Royal Thai Air Force deployed an F-16 fighter jet to strike targets in Cambodia, including a Buddhist temple where one civilian was reported killed.
Cambodia, in turn, accused Thailand of using cluster bombs, a controversial weapon widely condemned in international law, calling it a clear violation of international norms.
Thailand’s acting Prime Minister Phumtham Vichayachai said on Friday that civilian deaths and the damage to a hospital may amount to war crimes and suggested Cambodia could face international charges.
The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) held an emergency meeting in New York on Friday to discuss the escalation, though it issued no formal statement afterward.
However, according to the Associated Press (AP), citing an unnamed diplomat, all 15 UNSC member states called on both sides to de-escalate tensions and resolve the dispute peacefully and with restraint.
