New Delhi, India / Phnom Penh, Cambodia – The Indian Embassy in Phnom Penh sent out a travel warning on Saturday, telling Indian citizens to stay away from the disputed border areas between Cambodia and Thailand since the conflict between the two countries is getting worse. This comes after the Indian Embassy in Thailand sent out a similar warning on Friday. The situation is becoming worse, and people around the world are worried.
The Indian Embassy in Cambodia sent out an official notice that said, “Because of the ongoing clashes at the Cambodia-Thailand border, Indian citizens are advised to stay away from the border areas.” Indians who needed help were told to call the Embassy of India in Phnom Penh at +855 92881676 or email cons.phnompenh@mea.gov.in. The alert was also posted on the Embassy’s official X (previously Twitter) account.
On Friday, the Indian Embassy in Thailand put out its own warning, telling Indians not to travel to seven specific provinces in Thailand that are close to the border: Ubon Ratchathani, Surin, Sisaket, Buriram, Sa Kaeo, Chanthaburi, and Trat. The Mission told passengers to monitor official Thai sources, like the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Newsroom, for updates on a frequent basis. The TAT Newsroom has been giving real-time information on regions that have been affected. This notice also said that a number of tourism sites in these areas are currently “not recommended for travelling.”
These warnings come after fighting along the border between Thailand and Cambodia has caused a huge humanitarian disaster. CNN and other local news sources say that more than 100,000 people have had to leave their homes in just two days of fighting. Both sides have reported casualties, including civilians and military people.
The history behind a volatile disagreement
Thailand and Cambodia have been fighting over their borders for a long time, and the history of these fights is complicated and goes back more than a hundred years. The main point of the debate is France’s mapping of the land border. France controlled Cambodia until 1953. Cambodia has always used these French colonial-era maps to back up its claims to territory, but Thailand says they are wrong and doesn’t accept them.
The dispute often breaks out near old Hindu temples along the border, especially the Preah Vihear temple, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and Prasat Ta Muen Thom. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) famously gave the Preah Vihear temple to Cambodia in 1962. However, the border territories around it have remained a source of conflict, often leading to military conflicts.
Emergency Meeting of the UN Security Council
After two days of heavy combat across the border, both Cambodia and Thailand have officially written to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to let them know how serious the situation is. The 15-member UN council has set up an emergency private meeting on Saturday to talk about the growing crisis in response to these requests. This shows how worried the rest of the world is about the violence starting up again in Southeast Asia.
Both countries have given different stories on how the most recent fights started. Thailand said that the combat started on Thursday when Cambodia’s military used drones to spy on Thai troops near the border. with the other hand, Cambodia says that Thai soldiers started the fight by breaking a previous agreement and attacking Cambodian positions along the border areas “without provocation, with planning, and on purpose.”
The UNSC has made an urgent demand for maximum caution and a peaceful settlement to the current diplomatic and military tensions.