More than 420,000 Cambodian residents have been forced to flee their homes as fighting intensifies along the Cambodia–Thailand border, according to Cambodia’s Information Minister Neth Pheaktra.
In a statement posted on Monday, the minister said that as of 6 p.m. on December 15, a total of 126,204 families, or 421,853 people, had been displaced across seven Cambodian provinces as a result of what he described as Thailand’s military actions.
The humanitarian toll continues to rise. Cambodian authorities say ongoing shelling has killed at least 15 civilians and left 73 others wounded, deepening concerns over the impact of the conflict on border communities.
Clashes involving small arms erupted along the disputed border on December 7. Cambodia’s Ministry of National defense said the violence followed several days of provocations in the border areas, culminating in Thai military attacks on Cambodian positions.
Thailand’s military has rejected that account, insisting that Cambodian forces fired first and that Thai troops responded in self-defense to secure key locations and repel opposing forces.
The escalating confrontation has triggered one of the largest displacement crises in the region in recent years, raising fears of further instability as fighting continues and diplomatic efforts to de-escalate tensions remain uncertain.
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