Surin, July 26: Cambodian officials on Saturday reported 12 new deaths in its fighting with Thailand, bringing death toll on both sides to 32.Gen. Maly Socheata, spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense, told reporters Saturday that seven more civilians and five soldiers have died from two days of fighting. It earlier reported one fatality â a man who was killed when the pagoda he was hiding in got hit by Thai rockets.
Thailand has said that six of its soldiers and 13 civilians were killed, including children, while 29 soldiers and 30 civilians were wounded.
Tens of thousands of people sought refuge on Friday as border fighting between Thailand and Cambodia entered a second day, heightening fears of an extended conflict.
The U.N. Security Council held an emergency meeting behind closed doors later Friday in New York, while Malaysia, which chairs the 10-nation regional bloc that includes both countries, called for an end to hostilities and offered to mediate.
The council did not issue a statement but a council diplomat said all 15 members called on the parties to deescalate, show restraint and resolve the dispute peacefully. The council also urged the regional bloc, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations known as ASEAN, to help resolve the border fighting, the diplomat said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the meeting was private.
Cambodia’s U.N. Ambassador Chhea Keo told reporters afterward that his country, which called for the emergency meeting, âasked for immediate ceasefires, unconditionally, and we also call for the peaceful solution to the dispute.â
He responded to accusations that Cambodia attacked Thailand asking how a small country with no air force could attack a much larger country with an army three times its size, stressing, âWe do not do that.â
UN Security Council urges restraint by both sidesKeo said the Security Council called for both sides to exercise âmaximum restraint and resort to diplomatic solutionâ which is what Cambodia is calling for as well.
Asked what he expects next, the ambassador said: âLet’s see how the call can be heard by all the members there.â
Thailand’s U.N. ambassador left the meeting without stopping to talk to reporters.
The Thai Health Ministry on Friday said more than 58,000 have fled from villages to temporary shelters in four affected border provinces, while Cambodian authorities said more than 23,000 people have evacuated from areas near the border.
The latest flare-up in a long-running border dispute between the two countries has killed at least 19 people in Thailand â mostly civilians âwhile Cambodia confirmed its first fatality on Friday.
Thailand’s acting prime minister, Phumtham Wechayachai, said Friday that Cambodia may be guilty of war crimes due to the deaths of civilians and damage caused to a hospital. He said Thailand had exercised the âutmost restraint and patience in the face of provocations and aggressionâ from Cambodia.
Tensions over a disputed border area erupted into fighting after a land mine explosion along the border wounded five Thai soldiers on Wednesday.
Clashes break out across border areas
The Thai military reported clashes early Friday in multiple areas along the border, including near the ancient Ta Muen Thom temple claimed by both sides. Associated Press reporters near the border could hear sounds of artillery from early morning hours.
The Thai army said Cambodian forces had used heavy artillery and Russian-made BM-21 rocket launchers, prompting what Thai officials described as âappropriate supporting fireâ in return.
Thailand said six of its soldiers and 13 civilians were killed, including children, while 29 soldiers and 30 civilians were wounded.
Cambodia’s chief official in Oddar Meanchey province, Gen. Khov Ly, said a man died Thursday after a Thai rocket hit a Buddhist pagoda where he was hiding. At least four civilians in the province were also wounded Thursday.
The Cambodian Education Ministry claimed that on Friday two Thai rockets had hit a school compound in Oddar Meanchey but caused no injuries. It said all schools in the province have been closed.
The Thai army denied it targeted civilian sites in Cambodia, and accused Cambodia of using âhuman shieldsâ by positioning their weapons near residential areas.
Thousands flee villages near border
As the fighting intensified, villagers on both sides have been caught in the crossfire, leading many to flee.
Around 600 people took shelter at a gymnasium in a university in Surin, Thailand, about 80 kilometers (50 miles) from the border. Evacuees sat in groups, on mats and blankets, and queued for food and drinks.