On Monday, Thailand military announced that it has stopped fuel shipments passing through a border checkpoint with Laos stating fear of being diverted to Cambodia.
The Thai and Cambodian militaries are clashing at multiple locations along their 817 km (508 mile) land border, both sides said, with no signs of the fighting abating despite international efforts to negotiate a ceasefire, including calls by U.S. President Donald Trump.
A special meeting of Southeast Asian foreign ministers that was scheduled to take place on Tuesday had been pushed back to December 22 at Thailand’s request, the Malaysian foreign ministry said in a statement.
The neighbours have long disputed sections of the frontier, but the scale and intensity of the latest clashes – that stretch from forested inland areas near the Laos border to coastal provinces – are unprecedented in recent history.
Over half a million people have been displaced by the fighting, which has killed at least 38 on both sides over the past eight days, according to national authorities, who mounted a round of evacuations in July when the neighbours clashed for five days before Trump helped broker a truce.
Restrictions At Laos Border Crossing
Thailand’s military has restricted the movement of all fuel supplies through the Chong Mek border crossing into Laos after receiving intelligence that these were being routed to Cambodian troops, said Thai defence ministry spokesperson Rear Admiral Surasant Kongsiri.
The military is also considering limiting the movement of Thai vessels into “high-risk areas” in Cambodian waters where they could be fired upon, a navy official said, adding that any such measures would not impact shipments from other countries.
Drone Attacks and Airstrikes
Fighting is continuing at least nine locations along the frontier, with heavy exchanges of firing across four border provinces, including at the coast, Thai defence ministry spokesperson Surasant said.
Cambodia said Thai forces had used drones and heavy artillery at multiple areas, alongside deploying its F-16 fighter jets for airstrikes in Siem Reap Province, which houses the country’s second-largest city and the major tourist centre of Angkor Wat.
Thailand and Cambodia accuse each other of moves that led to a breakdown of July’s Trump-brokered truce, which was expanded into a wider agreement to help settle the conflict in October.
(With inputs from Reuters)
