Thai acting PM says Cambodia clashes ‘could develop into war’
Thailand’s acting prime minister warned that cross-border clashes with Cambodia “could develop into war” amid the second day of trading strikes.
Phumtham Wechayachai, cited by AFP, told reporters in Bangkok:
If the situation escalates it could develop into war, though for now it remains limited to clashes.
He also said the exchanges had affected people’s lives and that the government had “protected our nation and sovereignty”.
Updated at 01.30 EDT
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The PM’s office of Cambodia has just issued a statement with further details accusing Thailand of using cluster munitions.
In a post on X, the Cambodian Mine Action and Victim Assistance Authority (CMAA) said it “expresses its deepest alarm and strongest condemnation following reports that the Royal Thai Armed Forces deployed cluster munitions today, July 25, 2025, in a border area within the Cambodian territory.”
Preliminary reports from local authorities and demining teams claim that cluster munitions were used in Phnom Khmouch and Techo Thammachart Village – near the Thai border.
The first attack reportedly took place at 5.25am local time, with a second strike at 6.50am local time, putting civilians and deminers at immediate risk, it said.
CMAA described the incident as a “serious breach of international humanitarian norms”. Cluster munitions are banned under the 2008 Convention on Cluster Munitions due to their indiscriminate impact and lasting danger, particularly to children, the statement added.
ShareMalaysian PM urges Cambodia and Thailand to ‘immediately implement ceasefire’
Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has intervened in the escalating tensions along the Cambodia–Thailand border, calling for an “immediate ceasefire” and offering Malaysia’s assistance in facilitating dialogue between the two neighbours.
In a statement posted on Facebook, Anwar said he had spoken directly with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet and Thailand’s Deputy Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai to voice Malaysia’s “concerns over rising tensions along the borders of the two countries”.
Speaking in his capacity as chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) for 2025, Anwar said Malaysia was “ready to help and facilitate this process in the spirit of ASEAN unity and joint responsibility”.
“I appealed to both leaders to immediately implement ceasefire to avoid worsening conflicts and to open up space for peaceful dialogue and diplomatic solutions,” he wrote.
The Malaysian premier welcomed what he described as “positive gestures and willingness shown by Bangkok and Phnom Penh” in response to his appeal, though he did not elaborate on the nature of those gestures.
“I firmly believe that ASEAN’s strength lies in its solidarity,” he added. “Peace must always be our undivided collective choice.”
Updated at 02.49 EDT
What exactly is the Cambodia-Thailand dispute about, what’s the political situation in the two countries and how could the escalating clash affect them? Also, how can the crisis be resolved?
See our explainer here for the answers:
Here are some of the latest images coming in from Thailand and Cambodia over the newswires amid the continuing cross-border clashes.
A Thai mobile artillery unit fires towards Cambodia’s side on Friday. Photograph: Athit Perawongmetha/ReutersPeople flee their homes near the border in Cambodia’s Oddar Meanchey province. Photograph: Kith Serey/EPACambodian military personnel with a BM-21 Grad multiple rocket launcher about 40km (24 miles) from the disputed Ta Moan Thom temple in Oddar Meanchey province. Photograph: Soveit Yarn/ReutersThais line up to donate blood at a blood centre in Bangkok after the Thai Red Cross made a nationwide call for additional blood donations in response to the clashes. Photograph: Narong Sangnak/EPAA Cambodian self-propelled multiple rocket launcher is fired in Oddar Meanchey province. Photograph: Kith Serey/EPAShare
Updated at 02.07 EDT
A Cambodian civilian has been killed and five more wounded in cross-border strikes by Thailand, a Cambodian provincial administration official has told AFP.
Cambodia had earlier not yet commented on casualties on its side.
Meth Meas Pheakdey, the spokesperson for the border province of Oddar Meanchey, said on Friday that “so far one civilian was killed and five people were injured during fighting” in the jurisdiction, adding that the death was a 70-year-old man.
ShareThailand says 138,000 civilians evacuated from clashes
Thailand is saying 138,000 civilians have now been evacuated from the continuing border fighting with Cambodia, AFP reports.
Earlier on Friday it put the number at just over 100,000.
The Thai ministry of health said in a statement that 138,013 civilians and 428 hospital patients had been evacuated from the border region since clashes began on Thursday.
Updated at 01.47 EDT
The clashes between Thailand and Cambodia have taken place in 12 locations along their disputed border, a Thai military official said on Friday, indicating a broadening of the conflict that erupted a day earlier.
R Adm Surasant Kongsiri, a military spokesperson, told a press conference Cambodia had continued to use heavy weapons, Reuters reported.
The Thai military on Thursday had reported clashes in six locations.
Updated at 01.32 EDT
Thai acting PM says Cambodia clashes ‘could develop into war’
Thailand’s acting prime minister warned that cross-border clashes with Cambodia “could develop into war” amid the second day of trading strikes.
Phumtham Wechayachai, cited by AFP, told reporters in Bangkok:
If the situation escalates it could develop into war, though for now it remains limited to clashes.
He also said the exchanges had affected people’s lives and that the government had “protected our nation and sovereignty”.
Updated at 01.30 EDT
Opening summary
Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the clashes along the border of Thailand and Cambodia.
Thailand’s military has accused Cambodia of using of long-range weapons to “target civilian areas” and of committing “barbaric acts” that “have senselessly claimed the lives and inflicted injuries upon numerous innocent civilians” as the two countries exchange fire for a second day.
Phnom Penh’s landmine authority has, meanwhile, accused Thailand of using cluster munitions, calling it a “serious violation of humanitarian norms”.
Thai authorities say 15 people have so far been killed, including 14 civilians, while a Cambodian official said one civilian had been killed, although the Cambodian government has yet to give any official update on casualties.
The long-running border dispute erupted into intense fighting with jets, artillery, tanks and ground troops on Thursday after weeks of tensions. More than 100,000 Thais have fled the fighting, Bangkok said on Friday.
We’ll bring you more on that soonest. In other developments:
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The UN security council will hold an emergency meeting on Friday over the Cambodia-Thailand border clashes, diplomatic sources told AFP. The meeting, requested by Cambodian prime minister Hun Manet, would be held behind closed doors at 3pm (1900 GMT), the sources said.
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Britain’s foreign ministry advised against all but essential travel to parts of Cambodia and Thailand, both popular destinations for foreign tourists, after the fighting.
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Fighting was focused on six locations, the Thai army said on Thursday. Six Thai air force jets were deployed, hitting two “Cambodian military targets on the ground”, according to Thai military deputy spokesperson Ritcha Suksuwanon.
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Cambodia has not yet commented on casualties on its side. Defence ministry spokeswoman Maly Socheata refused to answer when asked about the issue at a news conference.
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Both sides blame the other for starting the fighting. On Wednesday, Thailand had expelled the Cambodian ambassador and recalled its own envoy after five members of a Thai military patrol were wounded by a landmine.
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Cambodia downgraded ties to “the lowest level” on Thursday, pulling out all but one of its diplomats and expelling their Thai equivalents from Phnom Penh.
Updated at 01.16 EDT