Cambodia accuses Thailand of bombing border casino town as pressure mounts to halt clashes
Cambodia has accused Thailand’s military of bombing the casino town of Poipet, a major crossing between the two countries, as regional and global powers pressed both sides to halt reignited border clashes.
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Thai forces “dropped two bombs in the area of Poipet Municipality, Banteay Meanchey Province” at about 11 a.m. local time, the Cambodian defense ministry said in a statement. Thailand has not confirmed any strike on Poipet, a bustling hub popular with Thai gamblers.
The renewed fighting along the Cambodia–Thailand border this month has killed at least 21 people in Thailand and 17 in Cambodia, while displacing about 800,000, officials said. Each side has blamed the other for instigating the latest hostilities and has traded accusations of attacks on civilians.
Thailand said between 5,000 and 6,000 Thai nationals remained stranded in Poipet after Cambodia closed land border crossings with its neighbor. Cambodia’s interior ministry called the closures a necessary measure to reduce risks to civilians amid ongoing combat and said air travel remained an option for those seeking to leave. At least four casinos in Cambodia have been damaged by Thai strikes, the ministry said.
The flare-up follows a brief but intense bout of fighting in July that killed dozens before a truce was brokered by the United States, China and Malaysia — a cease-fire that unraveled within months. U.S. President Donald Trump said last week the two countries had agreed to a new truce, but Bangkok denied any deal, and exchanges of artillery, tanks, drones and jets have continued daily since a border skirmish earlier this month sparked the latest round of conflict.
Beijing said it was sending its special envoy for Asian affairs to Cambodia and Thailand for a “shuttle-diplomacy trip” aimed at helping bridge differences and “rebuild peace.” “Through its own way, China has been working actively for de-escalation,” China’s foreign ministry said in a statement.
Regional diplomacy is set to intensify. Foreign ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations are due to meet Monday in Malaysia for emergency talks aimed at finding a diplomatic solution. “Our duty is to present the facts but more important is to press upon them that it is imperative for them to secure peace,” Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim told journalists, adding that he was “cautiously optimistic” about the talks and appealing for an immediate cease-fire.
European Commission Vice President Kaja Kallas said she had spoken with the foreign ministers of Cambodia and Thailand and offered the European Union’s support for cease-fire monitoring with satellite imagery. “The conflict between Thailand and Cambodia must not be allowed to spiral further. That’s why the ceasefire needs to be immediately restored,” she said.
The border town of Poipet has long been an economic pressure valve and a diplomatic flashpoint. A closure of its crossings can quickly strand thousands, choke cross-border trade and raise the stakes for both governments, even as they insist the other is to blame for escalating the confrontation.
As claims and counterclaims mount, independent verification of battlefield incidents remains difficult. The latest allegation of a strike on Poipet, coupled with the rising civilian toll and the number of displaced, is likely to sharpen the focus of international mediation efforts as ASEAN, China and Western partners push both sides toward restraint and a verifiable cease-fire.
By Abdiwahab Ahmed
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
