Thousands flee as fighting between Thailand and Cambodia continues

Tens of thousands of people sought refuge on Friday as border fighting between Thailand and Cambodia entered a second day, heightening fears of a broader conflict.

The UN Security Council is scheduled to hold an emergency meeting on the crisis later on Friday in New York, while Malaysia, which chairs a regional bloc that includes both countries, called for an end to hostilities and offered to mediate.

The Health Ministry on Friday said more than 58,000 have fled from villages to temporary shelters in four affected Thai border provinces, while Cambodian authorities said more than 4,000 people have evacuated from areas near the border.

The fighting has killed at least 14 people in Thailand, while Cambodia confirmed its first fatality on Friday.

Tensions over a disputed border area erupted into fighting after a land mine explosion along the border wounded five Thai soldiers on Wednesday.

The Thai military reported clashes early on Friday in multiple areas, including along the border at Chong Bok and Phu Makhuea in Thailand’s Ubon Ratchathani province; at Phanom Dong Rak in Surin province; and near the ancient Ta Muen Thom temple.

Associated Press reporters near the border could hear the sounds of artillery from early morning hours.

The Thai army said Cambodian forces had used heavy artillery and Russian-made BM-21 rocket launchers, prompting what Thai officials described as “appropriate supporting fire” in return.

Thailand said one soldier and 13 civilians were killed, including children, while 15 soldiers and 30 civilians were wounded.

Cambodia’s chief official in Oddar Meanchey province, General Khov Ly, said a man died instantly on Thursday after a Thai rocket hit a Buddhist pagoda where he was hiding.

At least four civilians were also wounded in Thursday’s fighting there.

As the fighting intensified, villagers on both sides have been caught in the crossfire, leading many to flee.

About 600 people took shelter at a gymnasium in a university in Surin, Thailand, about 50 miles from the border. Evacuees sat in groups, on mats and blankets, and queued for food and drinks.

Across the border in Cambodia, villages on the outskirts of Oddar Meanchey province were largely deserted. Homes stood locked, while chickens and dogs roamed outside.

Some villagers earlier dug holes to create makeshift underground bunkers, covering them with wood, tarpaulin and zinc sheets to shield themselves from shelling. Families with children were seen packing their belongings on home-made tractors to evacuate, though a few men refused to leave.