BANGKOK/PHNOM PENH – Thailand and Cambodia clashed for a third consecutive day on Saturday, July 26, 2025, with the death toll from their bloodiest fighting in years reaching 33. The escalating conflict, which erupted on Thursday and has involved jets, artillery, tanks, and ground troops, prompted the UN Security Council to convene an emergency meeting on Friday.
Cambodia’s defense ministry confirmed 13 fatalities, including eight civilians and five soldiers, with 71 people wounded. On the Thai side, the army reported five soldiers killed on Friday, bringing their total toll to 20, comprising 14 civilians and six military personnel. The combined death toll from this recent escalation now surpasses the 28 killed in the last major round of fighting between the two nations from 2008 to 2011.
Both sides reported a new clash around 5:00 am GMT on Saturday (10:30 am IST), with Cambodia accusing Thai forces of firing “five heavy artillery shells” into locations in Pursat province, which borders Thailand’s Trat province.
The intense fighting has led to a significant humanitarian crisis, forcing the evacuation of over 138,000 people from Thailand’s border regions and displacing more than 35,000 from their homes in Cambodia.
Following a closed meeting of the Security Council in New York, Cambodia’s UN ambassador, Chhea Keo stated his country’s urgent plea for de-escalation. “Cambodia asked for an immediate ceasefire—unconditionally—and we also call for the peaceful solution of the dispute,” he told reporters.
Thai Foreign Ministry spokesman Nikorndej Balankura had indicated Bangkok’s openness to talks prior to the UN meeting, potentially with Malaysia’s mediation. “We are ready, if Cambodia would like to settle this matter via diplomatic channels, bilaterally, or even through Malaysia, we are ready to do that. But so far we have not had any response,” Nikorndej told AFP. Malaysia currently chairs the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), a regional bloc to which both Thailand and Cambodia belong.
Acting Thai Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai has issued a stark warning that if the situation escalates further, “it could develop into war.” Both nations have traded accusations over who initiated the conflict. Thailand has accused Cambodia of targeting civilian infrastructure, including a hospital and a petrol station hit by shells and rockets. Cambodia, in turn, has accused Thai forces of using cluster munitions and questioned Thailand’s assertion that the smaller Cambodian military instigated the conflict.
The UN Security Council has called for “maximum restraint and resort to a diplomatic solution,” echoing the demands from both sides for a peaceful resolution.
This latest round of fighting marks a dramatic escalation in a long-standing border dispute between the two Southeast Asian neighbors, whose shared 800-kilometer (500-mile) frontier includes dozens of contested kilometers in several areas. Previous conflicts between 2008 and 2011 resulted in at least 28 deaths and tens of thousands displaced. While a UN court ruling in 2013 provided some clarity for over a decade, the current crisis reignited in May when a Cambodian soldier was killed in a new border clash.