LOC10:46
07:46 GMT
KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 11 (KUNA) -- Renewed military clashes erupted Thursday along the Cambodia-Thailand border, leaving at least 19 people dead, including Thai soldiers and Cambodian civilians, amid a sharp escalation in the long-running border dispute.
Thailand's Ministry of Defense said nine soldiers and three Thai civilians were killed in exchanges with Cambodian forces along the border. Cambodia's Ministry of Defense reported the civilian death toll on its side had risen to seven.
The Nation newspaper quoted Thai Defense Ministry spokesman Rear Admiral Surasant Kongsiri as saying around 120 soldiers were wounded, while nearly 618,199 civilians were now sheltering in 849 evacuation centers.
He noted that the The Royal Thai Navy continued operations against military targets deemed threats to national security along the maritime border, whilst the Royal Thai Air Force employing precision-guided weapons to minimize collateral damage.
Cambodia's Defense Ministry, cited by the Khmer Times, said dozens of wounded civilians were receiving treatment following Thai military strikes, adding that more than 127,000 civilians had been displaced due to intensifying operations.
Cambodia has formally asked the UN Security Council to take urgent action over what it described as "a series of unprovoked and escalating armed attacks" by Thai forces along their shared border, elevating the dispute from a bilateral conflict to an international security issue.
The conflict dates back to the early 20th century, rooted in colonial-era maps that left stretches of the frontier undefined, tensions have often centered around the areas surrounding Preah Vihear, which has witnessed repeated confrontations over the past two decades. (end) ayb.sar