At least 10,000 people have fled the border areas after fierce fighting between Thailand and Cambodia, said Thai authorities on Friday. The border clashes between the two neighbouring countries are likely to be the deadliest since the past decade.
Following the onset of deadly clashes, the UN Security Council will hold a meeting as calls for a ceasefire grow. Both sides deployed Jets, artillery, and tanks in Thursday’s violence. The Thai interior ministry said more than 10,000 people have been evacuated from four border provinces to nearly 300 temporary shelters, while 14 civilians have lost their lives.
The recent clashes have broken out following long-running disputes between the neighbouring countries. The two share an 800 km-long border, where several points are contested between the two countries Fighting also broke out between 2008 and 2011, leaving at least 28 people dead and tens of thousands displaced. A UN court ruling in 2013 settled the matter for over a decade, but the current crisis erupted in May when a Cambodian soldier was killed in a new clash. Meanwhile, amid the intense fighting, Cambodia has downgraded ties to “the lowest” on Thursday by pulling diplomats from its Thai embassy.
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Further, the UN Security Council has called for an immediate meeting at the request of Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet to discuss deadly clashes on Friday. The United States urged an "immediate" end to the conflict, while Cambodia's former colonial ruler, France, made a similar call.
Additionally, the EU and China, both of which have favourable diplomatic and trade relations with Cambodia, said on Thursday that they were concerned about the clashes and urged both sides to engage in dialogue.
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