Thai and Cambodia families on both sides caught in crossfire

10/12/2025 18:10

Thousands of families on both sides of the disputed border separating Thailand and Cambodia have fled to escape a bitter new conflict between the two Southeast Asian nations, but some have been forced to stay behind.



A thai security guard who also serves as village head, hunkered down behind a makeshift bunker built from six layers of tyres as shelling continued to shake the Thai border province of Buriram.



Hundreds of thousands of people have moved into temporary shelters since fighting resumed on Monday, breaking a fragile truce brokered by U.S. President Donald Trump in July.



In the Thai border district of Ta Phraya, civilians expressed rage at this week's fresh outbreak of hostilities.



Both sides accuse the other of reigniting the conflict, and both accuse the other of targeting civilian areas.



At Kaun Kriel, a disputed village about 25 km northwest of the Cambodian city of Samraong, wary residents remembering the five-day July border clash, which killed at least 48 people, began to flee as soon as fighting erupted again on Monday.