Bangkok [Thailand], December 12: Thailand has for the first time acknowledged civilian deaths in its newly reignited border conflict with Cambodia.
Three civilians on the Thai side have been killed in the fighting, Defence Ministry spokesman Rear Admiral Surasant Kongsiri told the newspaper The Nation. The number of Thai soldiers killed has risen to nine, he added.
Fighting continued on Thursday in the border region between the two countries. Both sides accuse each other of targeting civilian areas since hostilities resumed.
Cambodia's Interior Ministry has said that 10 civilians have been killed on its side of the border and another 60 people injured.
The conflict between the two south-east Asian neighbours, which had appeared largely calm in recent weeks, flared up again last week.
Since Sunday, both sides have accused each other of being the first to break a recently observed ceasefire along their 800-kilometre shared border. Ongoing fighting has since claimed several lives and forced more than 500,000 people from their homes.
Clashes took place on Wednesday at more than a dozen locations along the contested colonial-era demarcated 817km (508-mile) Thai-Cambodian border, with some of the most intense fighting being reported since a five-day battle in July, which saw dozens killed on both sides.
Cambodia's Ministry of the Interior said homes, schools, roads, Buddhist pagodas and ancient temples had been damaged by "Thailand's intensified shelling and F-16 air strikes targeting villages and civilian population centres up to 30km [18.6 miles] inside Cambodian territory".
Responding to the accusations, the Thai army said Cambodia had "intentionally" used a historical site as a "military base of operations" and therefore was guilty of violating international law.
Trump seeks talks with both sides
US President Donald Trump, meanwhile, said he plans to speak with both parties by phone on Thursday, after initially suggesting a call would take place on Wednesday.
It remained unclear whether he was referring to a single joint conversation or separate discussions, and no details were given about who exactly would take part.
Trump told reporters at the White House he believed he could persuade the two countries to stop the fighting.
The latest clashes follow an agreement signed after heavy fighting in late October, witnessed by Trump. The truce collapsed in November after new incidents along the frontier.
The border dispute dates back to French colonial-era demarcations. At the heart of the conflict is a centuries-old temple, a UNESCO World Heritage site since 2008, dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva.
Source: Qatar Tribune
