Cambodia-Thailand Border Clashes Force Mass School Closure
Cambodia's Education Ministry announced combat operations shuttered 1,039 educational facilities spanning six provinces, disrupting instruction for 9,797 educators and 242,881 students, media reported.
Cambodia's Interior Ministry disclosed two additional civilian fatalities, elevating the nation's noncombatant death count to 15 alongside 73 wounded.
The ministry further alleged Thai F-16 fighter aircraft executed bombing raids within Cambodian sovereign territory, according to a state broadcaster.
Diplomatic Appeals and Airstrikes
Thailand's Foreign Ministry representative Nikorndej Balankura revealed Bangkok lodged formal complaints with the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights following nine Thai civilian deaths and closure of over 600 schools and medical centers, Thai media documented.
The publication additionally confirmed the Thai Air Force deployed F-16 warplanes against Cambodian military installations, with sustained combat raging throughout frontier territories.
Beijing Urges De-escalation
China voiced alarm over intensifying hostilities. Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun indicated Beijing maintains close surveillance of developments.
"We are deeply saddened by the casualties inflicted on both sides and express heartfelt sympathies. Cambodia and Thailand are and will always be neighbors. Amity and good-neighborliness are invaluable to a country. The top priority now is to stop the fighting and protect civilians," Guo said at a news conference in Beijing.
"We hope the two sides will, in light of safeguarding peace and stability of the border areas and the interests of the peoples, exercise maximum restraint, take all measures conducive to realizing a ceasefire, and deescalate as soon as possible," he added.
Humanitarian Crisis Deepens
Government representatives and news organizations estimate roughly 700,000 individuals have abandoned homes across both nations since warfare intensified last week.
Cumulative casualties show 15 civilian deaths in Cambodia, while Thailand documented 16 military personnel and nine civilians killed.
Collapsed Peace Efforts
Fighting persists despite US President Donald Trump announcing Friday that Thailand and Cambodia's leadership had committed to ceasefire implementation.
Both nations formalized a peace accord last October in Kuala Lumpur witnessed by Trump and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, though the agreement collapsed after Thai troops sustained critical injuries from landmine detonations in a border province.
Thai officials confirmed approximately 18 Cambodian military members remain detained following border incidents across five months.
Thailand and Cambodia maintain protracted territorial disagreements that have repeatedly ignited armed conflict, including July clashes claiming at least 48 lives.
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