On July 24, 2025, Thailand and Cambodia experienced their deadliest clashes in over a decade, resulting in at least 12 fatalities, including 11 Thai civilians and one soldier. The conflict erupted amid a dispute over the Emerald Triangle border region. The fighting involved tanks, artillery, and Thai F-16 airstrikes, escalating tensions near the Ta Muen Thom temple. Both countries are accusing each other of starting the violence.
Fighting broke out near the Ta Muen Thom temple, which straddles the border between Cambodia’s Oddar Meanchey province and Thailand’s Surin province. According to Thai officials, Cambodia fired BM-21 rockets that hit a petrol station in Sisaket, resulting in the deaths of students. In response, Thailand deployed six F-16 jets to strike two Cambodian military targets, as reported by deputy spokesperson Ritcha Suksuwanon. The Thai health ministry has reported 35 civilian injuries, while Cambodia has not disclosed its casualties.
Residents in Thailand’s Surin province bordering Cambodia ran for cover as the neighboring countries exchanged fire, after weeks of tension over a border dispute that has escalated into clashes https://t.co/W6L9ZXSqBY pic.twitter.com/M5kMt6fvwV
— Reuters (@Reuters) July 24, 2025Both sides are blaming each other for initiating the conflict. Cambodia’s defence ministry described its actions as a response to what it termed Thailand’s “unprovoked assault.” Thai officials, on the other hand, accused Cambodia of targeting civilians, referencing two BM-21 rockets that landed in Surin’s Kap Choeng district. The clashes come on the heels of a skirmish in May 2025, during which a Cambodian soldier was killed, further escalating a longstanding dispute rooted in maps from the colonial era.
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet has requested an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council, referring to Thailand’s actions as “brutal aggression.” In response, Thailand has closed its border crossings and advised its citizens to leave Cambodia. Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, the ASEAN chair, has called for de-escalation of the situation. Meanwhile, China has expressed concern, urging dialogue and advising its citizens to avoid the border area.
Thailand launched airstrikes on Cambodia on Thursday following a new border clash.
Fighting between the two countries has occurred intermittently for decades, but tensions began to climb last month after a Cambodian soldier was killed in a skirmish. https://t.co/O14SfG2ckk pic.twitter.com/8dKghOuTW3
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) July 24, 2025The Emerald Triangle, where Thailand, Cambodia, and Laos converge, has been a contested region since the 1904 Franco-Siamese Treaty. In 1962, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that the Preah Vihear temple belonged to Cambodia, but disputes over the surrounding areas persist. Clashes from 2008 to 2011 resulted in over 20 deaths, and tensions flared once more in 2025.
The conflict displaced 40,000 Thai residents, with schools and parks opened as shelters. Thailand’s political crisis, with the suspension of Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, complicates the resolution. Both nations face pressure to negotiate, but nationalist sentiments hinder progress.
