Bangkok (TDI): More than half a million people in Thailand and Cambodia have been forced to leave their homes as fresh fighting flared along the long-disputed border, officials from both countries confirmed on Wednesday.
The scale of evacuation has already exceeded the displacements reported during the clashes earlier this year. Thai defense ministry spokesman Surasant Kongsiri said civilians were moved out of several high-risk areas as the situation worsened.
“We assessed a serious and immediate threat to civilian safety. Over 400,000 residents from seven provinces have now been taken to secure shelters,” he told reporters. He added that authorities were determined to avoid a repeat of the July 2025 attacks that caused heavy casualties.
Cambodian defense ministry spokeswoman Maly Socheata said her country has also relocated tens of thousands of people. According to her, 101,229 people in five provinces have sought refuge either in official shelters or with relatives.
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The two neighbouring states have long disputed sections of their 800-kilometre frontier, particularly areas surrounding centuries-old temples claimed by both sides. These competing territorial claims have repeatedly triggered armed confrontations.
The latest round of violence is the most severe since the five-day conflict in July, when dozens were killed and nearly 300,000 were displaced before a fragile ceasefire was reached. That truce was brokered with the involvement of US President Donald Trump during his October visit to Asia.
Officials from both nations accused each other of provoking the renewed hostilities, which spread to five provinces on each side of the border on Tuesday, according to an AFP compilation of official statements.
Reacting to the escalation, President Trump said he planned to intervene diplomatically once more. At a rally in Pennsylvania on Tuesday, he told supporters he would be making a phone call on Wednesday regarding the Thailand–Cambodia conflict.
Read More: Truce Disrupted Again as Renewed Clashes Spread Along the Thailand-Cambodia Border
He listed several disputes he had previously stepped into, adding, “And, I hate to say it, one called Cambodia–Thailand, it started up again today.”
“I’ll be making a call tomorrow, and I think they’ll listen,” he said, before adding, “Who else can say, ‘I’m going to make a phone call and stop a war between two powerful countries’?”
