Thailand and Cambodia vowed to continue fighting on Tuesday as new border clashes left at least 13 people dead and tens of thousands displaced, derailing a U.S.-backed ceasefire that ended deadly fighting in July.
The Cambodian military said nine civilians were killed and 20 injured in the fighting, while Thailand said four soldiers had been killed and 68 wounded since clashes resumed on Sunday night.
On Tuesday, Senate President Hun Sen vowed that Cambodia would wage a fierce fight against Thailand, amid a second day of widespread fighting and displacement along the disputed border.
Prime Minister Hun Sen claimed in statements posted on Facebook and Telegram that Cambodia refrained from retaliating on Monday following Sunday’s attack, but launched a counterattack against Thai forces in the evening.
“Cambodia wants peace, but Cambodia is forced to fight back to protect its territory,” Hun Sen wrote. The former prime minister, who ruled Cambodia for nearly 40 years until his son Hun Manet succeeded him in 2023, is still widely seen as the country’s de facto leader.
Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakrun said on Tuesday that Cambodia had not contacted Thailand about possible negotiations and that fighting would continue.
“We have to do what we have to do,” he said. “The government will support all types of military operations as originally planned,” he said.
Thailand claimed Cambodia first attacked its positions before the Thai military carried out airstrikes along the border on Monday, describing the operation as a defensive action targeting military facilities.
Thai military spokesman Maj. Gen. Surasant Khongsiri said such operations would continue “until the attacks cease.”
Thousands of people evacuated on both sides
The fighting comes after skirmishes on Sunday left two Thai soldiers injured and shattered a cease-fire agreement that ended five days of clashes in July over territorial disputes.
The fighting killed at least 48 people on both sides and forced the evacuation of more than 300,000 civilians.
Residents of the border conflict area began evacuating in their thousands on Monday. The Thai military announced that around 500 temporary evacuation centers had been set up in four border provinces, housing 125,838 people.
A university evacuation center in the northeastern city of Surin hosted more than 3,600 people who had migrated from dangerous areas. Many were photographed sitting or lying on thin mats, and several people had set up small tents on Tuesday.
“We were preparing to evacuate. We hadn’t left yet, but we ran as soon as we heard the gunshots,” said Pangam Kanchanthorn, a cassava farmer. “It was scary. Who isn’t afraid of shelling?”
Cambodian authorities said about 55,000 people had been evacuated and the number was expected to rise.
“When I heard the explosion of shelling, I felt scared. I was working in a garment factory at the time,” said Vak Nairn, 44, a father of seven children.
US ‘strongly urges’ cessation of hostilities
Cambodia and Thailand regularly experience tensions along their more than 800-kilometer border.
Some of the disputed areas are home to ancient temples, such as Ta Krabey, which both countries covet as part of their heritage. Cambodia’s Ministry of Culture announced on Tuesday that the Thai military had destroyed the ruins.
The Thai military called the temple, also built in the 11th century, by its Thai name and claimed that the Cambodian military carried out rocket attacks in the northeastern province of Surin. Neither claim could be independently substantiated.
Malaysia brokered a cease-fire agreement in July to halt fighting, but President Trump pressured both countries by threatening to deny them trade rights if they did not comply.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday called on both countries to fulfill commitments made in October’s Kuala Lumpur peace agreement, including removing heavy weapons from the border and organizing landmine clearance.
“We urge an immediate cessation of hostilities, the protection of civilians, and a return on both sides to the de-escalation measures outlined in the peace agreement,” Rubio said in a statement.
At a political event in Pennsylvania late Tuesday, President Trump said he would use his influence to end the recent conflict.