Tens of thousands of people fled a disputed border area between Cambodia and Thailand on Friday as the fighting entered a second day in the deadliest clashes between the two nations in at least a decade.
More than 131,000 people in Thailand have evacuated, according to Thailand’s Health Ministry. At least 15 people have been killed on the Thai side since the fighting started. In Cambodia, at least one death has been reported, and hundreds of people fled their homes in wagons pulled by tractors.
On Friday, civilians on both sides of the border ran for shelter as gunshots and artillery fire rang throughout the day.
The last time that Cambodia and Thailand fired on each other’s territories was during a three-year border conflict that ended in 2011 and killed people on both sides of the border.
The current clashes erupted on Thursday with an exchange of fire near Prasat Ta Muen Thom, an ancient temple claimed by both nations. It followed two months of tensions over contested territory that began in late May after a Cambodian soldier was killed in a skirmish.
Major allies of Cambodia and Thailand have called for peace. Each nation has accused the other of striking first on Thursday and expelled the other’s ambassadors, clouding the prospects of a quick diplomatic resolution.
The United States, which has a security treaty with Thailand, called for “the immediate cessation of attacks, protection of civilians, and peaceful settlement of disputes,” in a statement on Thursday by Tammy Bruce, a spokeswoman for the State Department.
China, the largest trading partner for both Cambodia and Thailand, was “deeply concerned” about the conflict and had been working to promote peace and facilitate peace talks, Guo Jiakun, a spokesman for China’s foreign ministry, said at a Thursday news briefing.
Overnight, two politicians who wield influence in Cambodia and Thailand directly addressed each other on social media. Thaksin Shinawatra, a former prime minister of Thailand, wrote that former Prime Minister Hun Sen of Cambodia, the country’s de facto leader, “needed to be taught a lesson” by the Thai military.
“Thaksin’s remarks further underscore Thailand’s military aggression toward Cambodia,” Mr. Hun Sen responded.
Mr. Thaksin and Mr. Hun Sen previously had close ties, and their children are serving as the prime ministers of their countries. Mr. Thaksin’s daughter, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, however, is currently suspended from office.
In June, Mr. Hun Sen leaked a private phone call with Prime Minister Shinawatra about the border tensions. Her deferential tone toward Mr. Hun Sen caused outrage in Thailand, and this month the Constitutional Court temporarily suspended Ms. Paetongtarn from office while it reviews a petition for her removal.
Kittiphum Sringammuang contributed reporting from Bangkok.
Francesca Regalado is a Times reporter covering breaking news.
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