Thai, Cambodian forces clash leaves at least 11 dead

Thai and Cambodian soldiers clashed in several areas along their border Thursday in a major escalation of their conflict that left at least 11 people dead, mostly civilians. The two sides fired small arms, artillery and rockets, and Thailand also called in air-strikes.
Thai villagers could be seen on video fleeing their homes to seek shelter as the clashes began in the morning. Fighting was ongoing in at least six areas along the border, Thai Defense Ministry spokesperson Surasant Kongsiri said. The trigger for the clashes was a mine explosion along the border on Wednesday that wounded five Thai soldiers and led Bangkok to withdraw its ambassador to Cambodia and expelled Cambodia’s.
Thailand has also sealed all land border crossings while urging its citizens to leave Cambodia.
The two neighbours have longstanding border disputes that periodically flare along their 800-kilometer frontier and usually result in brief confrontations that sometimes involves exchanges of gunfire.
Each side accuses other of starting the clashes: The first clash Thursday morning happened in an area near the ancient Ta Muen Thom temple along the border of Thailand’s Surin province and Cambodia’s Oddar Meanchey province.
A video from Thai side showed people running from their homes and hiding in a concrete bun-ker as explosions sounded.
Thai army said its forces heard a drone before seeing six armed Cambodian soldiers moving closer to Thai military positions at the border. It said Thai soldiers tried to shout at them to de-fuse the situation, but Cambodian side started to open fire.
Cambodia’s Defense Ministry, however, said Thailand deployed a drone first before opening fire, and that Cambodia “acted strictly within the bounds of self-defense, responding to an un-provoked incursion by Thai troops that violated our territorial integrity.”
Cambodian PM wrote to the current president of UN Security Council asking for an urgent meeting “to stop Thailand’s aggression.”