A dangerous escalation is currently going on. Cambodia has been planting land mines in the disputed area. Two Thai soldiers have lost legs from these mines.
At 11:30 this morning, July 24, I received a message from a Thai friend who lives in that area. "Today here have a lot of planes today. Military planes."
So far airline flights between Thailand and Cambodia are still available, but your guess is as good as mine whether that will continue. Some of the border checkpoints have been totally closed now.
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Cambodia opens fire at Thai military base
Civilians being evacuated near border in Surin, rocket launchers also targeting Thailand
July 24, 2025
Cambodian forces fire a BM-21 rocket launcher from their base at Khao Laem on Thursday morning. One of the rockets was said to have landed on the Thai side, striking an area near Ban Tuan in Si Sa Ket province.
Cambodian soldiers opened fire at a Thai military base in the northeastern province of Surin and launched rockets toward Si Sa Ket on Thursday morning as hostilities in the disputed border area worsened, according to the Royal Thai Army.
Thai soldiers heard a Cambodian unmanned aerial vehicle circling in front of the Ta Muen Thom temple ruins in Phanom Dong Rak district of Surin at 7.35am, the army said.
Six Cambodian soldiers then approached a barbed-wire fence in front of the Thai military base, armed with weapons including rocket-propelled grenades.
Thai soldiers at the base shouted to urge their Cambodian counterparts to avoid escalating the conflict.
At 8.20am Cambodia opened fire toward the Moo Pa military base, about 200 metres east of the Ta Muen Thom ruins, the 2nd Army Region said on its Facebook page.
The Cambodian forces set up artillery in nearby communities in a manner that used civilians as human shields, the Thai army alleged. Artillery fire was then directed at the temple ruins at 8.50am, it said.
At about 9.15am, Cambodian troops reportedly initiated gunfire, targeting the area near the Moo Pa base. One Thai soldier was injured as gunfire continued, with both small arms and heavy weaponry being deployed.
At 9.40am, Cambodia fired BM-21 rocket launchers at the Don Tuan temple ruins in Si Sa Ket province, Thailand said.
At 9.55am, Cambodian forces reportedly fired into a residential area near the border area development centre in Kap Choeng district of Surin. At least three civilians were reported injured. Authorities began evacuating civilians from the area as a precaution.
The attacks came a day after a landmine explosion injured five Thai soldiers, one of whom lost a leg, near the Chong An Ma border crossing in Ubon Ratchathani province.
The Thai army said the mines were recently planted by Cambodia.
Lt Gen Boonsin Padklang, commander of the 2nd Region Army, which is responsible for the Northeast, ordered the border sealed and the temple ruins in Surin closed. The orders took effect on Thursday morning.
On Wednesday, the Thai government expelled the Cambodian ambassador, Hun Saroeun, while recalling the Thai envoy from Phnom Penh.
Bangkok has briefed foreign military attachés and diplomats stationed in the neighbouring country and is seeking action under the United Nations’ (UN) Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention, while also engaging in bilateral efforts to resolve the dispute.
Though Thailand and Cambodia have a long history of border tensions, relations have remained largely stable since the 2011 conflict, which left dozens dead.
After the clash in May, Cambodia called for the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague to help resolve four disputed land areas. Thailand, however, said it does not recognise the court’s jurisdiction in the matter.
https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/ge ... itary-base
