Bangkok, Thailand – Thailand announced martial law in eight districts along the border with Cambodia on Friday, which was a big step up in tensions. The two Southeast Asian countries were still firing heavy artillery at each other. The action comes as the border crisis gets worse, killing at least 15 people and forcing more than 130,000 residents to leave areas where fighting is going on.
Apichart Sapprasert, the head of the military’s Border Defense Command for the provinces of Chanthaburi and Trat, said in a statement that “martial law is now in effect” in seven districts of Chanthaburi and one district of Trat. Sapprasert said that “Cambodia’s use of force” to go into Thai land was a reason for the decision.
This happened just a few hours after Thai officials said again that they would rather settle the disagreement through direct talks than with the help of a third party. Bangkok, on the other hand, sent Cambodia a severe warning at the same time, saying that the confrontation may “potentially develop into a war.” Phumtham Wechayachai, who is currently the Prime Minister, stressed Thailand’s dedication to protecting its land and independence.
“We’ve tried to work things out since we’re neighbors, but now we’ve told the Thai military to act right away if there’s an emergency,” Phumtham said. He went on to say, “This situation could lead to a war.” At this time, it is still thought to be a fight with guns and other heavy weapons.
At the same time, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet said his country was ready for a truce but blamed Thailand for not following through on a pact made with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim. Reports say that this cease-fire would start early on Friday.
The health ministry in Thailand said that the fighting that is still going on is one of the worst Thai-Cambodian confrontations in more than ten years. At least 15 people have died and more than three dozen have been hurt. More than 130,000 individuals have been forced to leave conflict zones in Thailand, which is also having a big effect on people. Local news in Cambodia says that 260 schools in the province of Oddar Meanchey, which is in the center of the conflict, have been shut down.
The United Nations Security Council is also paying attention; it is set to conduct an emergency meeting on the crisis later on Friday.
International Mediation Offers While Thailand Resists
The US, China, and Malaysia have all offered to help mediate the situation in order to calm down the rising tensions between Thailand and Cambodia.
Earlier today, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said that Beijing was eager to take a “constructive role” in ending the military crisis. Yi also said that the “legacy of western colonizers” played a role in the border clash, which is interesting.
A report from Bloomberg said that the U.S. has also talked to both parties to try to get them to settle things peacefully. The U.S. embassy in Bangkok put out a statement saying that they have always told Thailand and Cambodia to work out their disputes amicably and in a way that respects diplomatic standards and commitments.
Even while other countries have tried to help, Thailand has made it clear that it wants to settle the issue through direct, two-way talks. Russ Jalichandra, the Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs, said Bloomberg News, “We do appreciate their kind offers and do not rule them all out.” He stressed Thailand’s present position: “But right now we still want to solve the problems through negotiations and existing bilateral mechanisms that both sides agreed on.”
The situation is still very unstable because there are still a lot of exchanges going on and both countries are sticking to their stances on the border areas in question.