Border Inferno: Thailand And Cambodia Trade Deadly Fire In Escalating Territorial Clash

Thailand and Cambodia exchanged heavy gunfire for a second consecutive day on Friday, intensifying a deadly border dispute that has already claimed more than a dozen lives and forced the evacuation of over 135,000 civilians.

Tensions between the Southeast Asian neighbors have been simmering for months over contested stretches of their 800-kilometer (500-mile) border. The disputed line, partly demarcated during French colonial rule over Cambodia, runs near ancient religious sites that both nations lay claim to.

Hostilities erupted at around 4:30 a.m. Friday when Cambodian forces opened fire with small arms and heavy weapons, according to Colonel Richa Sooksuwanon, deputy spokesperson for the Thai army. In response, Thai forces launched retaliatory artillery strikes.

The fighting was reported across multiple locations, including two in Thailand’s Ubon Ratchathani province and one in Surin province. The Thai army warned civilians to steer clear of the conflict zones, confirming that rocket and heavy weapon fire was coming from Cambodian territory. Bomb disposal operations were also underway in Kantharalak district, where Cambodian rockets struck on Thursday, killing and injuring Thai civilians.

Footage from Reuters showed powerful booms as Thai artillery fired rounds across the border. Thursday’s violence included exchanges of small arms and rocket fire, with Thailand — a U.S. treaty ally — later dispatching F-16 fighter jets to bomb what it described as Cambodian military targets.

Both countries maintain close ties with China, while the U.S. and China have jointly called for restraint and de-escalation.

An undated video released by the Thai army showed drones dropping explosives on what it claimed were military installations deep inside Cambodia. The aerial footage depicted forested areas erupting in flames and smoke following the strikes. CNN could not independently verify the authenticity of the video.

According to Thailand’s Ministry of Health, at least 16 people — mostly civilians — have been killed on Thai soil since the clashes began. Cambodian authorities reported one death and five injuries in Oddar Meanchey province, which borders Thailand’s Buri Ram, Surin, and Si Saket provinces.

“The fighting is ongoing,” said Met Measpheakdey, a provincial spokesperson, describing the situation as “still heated.” Cambodian officials also accused Thailand of deploying internationally banned cluster munitions at two separate locations early Friday — a claim CNN is still seeking to verify.

The humanitarian toll is worsening. More than 4,000 Cambodians have fled their homes, with videos showing villagers escaping in the dead of night, cramming belongings into trucks, and sleeping under makeshift tarps. In Thailand, over 130,000 people have been evacuated to temporary shelters. Footage from Surin province revealed evacuees sleeping on floors of university halls and eating from plastic containers.

“I was shocked when the fighting started,” said evacuee Ngerntra Pranoram. “Nobody wants this. It’s especially hard for the elderly and the disabled. Some people have cars, but for those who don’t, it’s heartbreaking.”

The U.S. Embassy in Thailand has advised American citizens to avoid traveling within 50 kilometers (31 miles) of the conflict zone.

A Disputed Past Rekindled

The most recent flare-up followed a landmine explosion on Wednesday that injured five Thai soldiers. But tensions have been escalating since May, when a Cambodian soldier was killed during a firefight with Thai troops in another contested area near the tri-border junction of Cambodia, Thailand, and Laos — known as the Emerald Triangle.

The Thai-Cambodian relationship has long been a complex mix of rivalry and cooperation. The land border, drawn largely during French colonial rule, has been a recurring source of military confrontation and nationalistic tension.

“Both sides carry deep historical resentments,” said Thitinan Pongsudhirak, a political science professor at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok. “Thais believe France unjustly ceded Thai territory to Cambodia. Cambodians see the land as part of their ancient heritage and are determined to reclaim it.”

However, Thailand holds a significant military advantage. Its armed forces number 361,000 active-duty personnel — triple the size of Cambodia’s military — and benefit from decades of U.S. support as a major non-NATO ally.

Meanwhile, Thai politics remain volatile. Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra was suspended from office in July after the leak of a controversial phone call with Cambodia’s former strongman leader, Hun Sen, in which she appeared to criticize her own army’s role in the conflict. Thailand’s military, a powerful political force, has a long history of coups and continues to act as the monarchy’s self-proclaimed guardian.

With no clear end in sight and both sides entrenched, the region now teeters on the edge of wider escalation — threatening not only civilian lives but also regional stability.