Mass evacuation from Thai–Cambodian border amid renewed fighting

PHONM PENH, Dec. 10 (YPA) – Cambodia’s Ministry of Defence announced on Wednesday evacuation of more than 100,000 people from areas adjacent to Thailand since the resumption of fighting on Sunday evening.

Maly Socheata, spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defence, stated that Cambodian authorities evacuated more than 20,000 families, relocating them to temporary shelters or to relatives’ homes across five different provinces.

On the other hand, Rear Admiral Surasant Kongsiri, Spokesperson of Thailand’s Ministry of Defence, said at a press conference that 400,000 people have been evacuated.

He explained that the evacuation was carried out due to an “imminent threat to civilian safety.”

Since Monday, the clashes have spread to several provinces along the Cambodia-Thailand border. Both sides accuse each other for starting the fighting.

The latest clashes come just months after both sides agreed to a ceasefire brokered by US President Donald Trump

Thailand and Cambodia have a long-standing dispute over portions of their boundary dating back to its colonial-era demarcation.

@E.Y.M