Thailand, Cambodia trade accusations as deadly border clashes continue for third day

Thailand and Cambodia have traded accusations of fresh attacks as violent border clashes entered a third day, leaving at least 33 people dead and more than 168,000 displaced.

International pressure on both countries to reach a ceasefire continues to mount.

Artillery fire and gunfire were reported near several border villages, expanding the fighting that intensified again on Thursday after five Thai soldiers were injured in a landmine explosion along the border.

Officials from Cambodia and Thailand said their actions were in response to provocations.

Both countries recalled their ambassadors, and Thailand closed border crossings in the northeast with Cambodia.

Cambodian authorities reported 12 new casualties on Saturday, bringing the death toll to 13, while Thai officials said one soldier had died, raising the death toll to 20, mostly civilians.

The regional body, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), is facing increasing pressure to ease tensions between its two members.

At an emergency meeting on Friday, UN Security Council members called for de-escalation and urged ASEAN to act as a mediator in finding a peaceful resolution.

The 800-kilometre (500-mile) border between Thailand and Cambodia has been disputed for decades, but previous clashes have been limited and brief.

Current tensions escalated in May when a Cambodian soldier was killed in a conflict, leading to a diplomatic rift and shaking up Thailand's domestic politics.

Cambodia's Defence Ministry condemned what it called an expanded offensive by Thailand on Saturday morning after five heavy artillery shells were fired at multiple targets in Pursat province, describing the attack as an “unprovoked and deliberate act of aggression”.

Sourse: breakingnews.ie

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