New Delhi: At least 11 Thai civilians have been killed and 14 others injured hours after a clash erupted between Thailand and Cambodia. The tensions between the two neighbors escalated over the long-disputed border areas.
Thailand launched air strikes on Cambodian military targets as Cambodia fired rockets and artillery in a dramatic escalation earlier in the day. The Cambodian attacks on civilian areas continued on July 24, even as it attacked the Phanom Dong Rak Hospital, CNN quoted Thailand’s Foreign Ministry as saying.
Thailand Education Minister Narumon Pinyosinwat has ordered the closure of all schools in Phanom Dong Rak district following clashes, the Nation Thailand reported. The Thai Ministry of Public Health said that most civilian deaths resulted from a rocket strike near a petrol station in Sisaket province.
A Thai military official said that six Thai air force jets have been deployed from Ubon Ratchathani province, hitting two “Cambodian military targets on the ground.”
The latest fighting comes as the two countries are locked in a bitter spat over an area known as the Emerald Triangle, where the borders of both countries and Laos meet. Thailand and Cambodia have shut down their borders and expelled diplomats in a tit-for-tat move.
