KANTHARALAK, Thailand — A 63-year-old Thai villager was killed Sunday in a rocket attack from Cambodia, marking the first confirmed civilian death directly linked to a week of renewed fighting along the two countries’ border, Thai authorities said.
The victim, identified as Don Patchapan, was struck in the heart of a residential area near a school in Kantharalak District, Sisaket province. Witnesses described the aftermath, including a house set ablaze a few hundred meters away and shrapnel embedded in the road. Volunteers attempted to extinguish the fire using buckets of water.
Thai Government spokesperson Siripong Angkasakulkiat condemned Cambodia for targeting civilian areas, calling the attack “cruel and inhumane.” Previous civilian deaths in the conflict mostly involved individuals with preexisting health issues during evacuations.
The border clash stems from long-standing disputes over frontier land containing centuries-old temple ruins. The fighting began with a skirmish on December 7 that wounded two Thai soldiers and has escalated despite multiple ceasefire efforts, including one brokered by Malaysia and supported by former U.S. President Donald Trump.
Both nations continue to exchange fire. Thailand has conducted airstrikes with fighter jets, while Cambodia has launched thousands of rockets using truck-mounted BM-21 launchers, capable of firing up to 40 rockets at a time. The rockets, with a range of 30-40 kilometers, often land in areas from which civilians have already been evacuated. Both sides have also used drones for surveillance and bombing.
Over the past week, more than two dozen people on both sides have been reported killed, and over half a million residents have been displaced. Thai officials confirmed 16 military deaths, while Cambodian authorities reported at least 11 civilian deaths but disputed Thai military casualty claims.
Residents described the destruction and fear caused by the attacks. Kanbancha Charoensri, who survived a rocket strike in another Kantharalak village Saturday, said homes were “totally destroyed” and the ground “was shaking so much. It was so scary.”
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet posted a message on social media praising his country’s resilience amid what he described as aggression from Thailand.
The conflict also spread to new fronts, with a Thai Navy warship exchanging fire with Cambodian forces in the Gulf of Thailand. Each side blamed the other for initiating the confrontation.
The fighting has disrupted previous ceasefire agreements and raised concerns of further escalation, with both nations mobilizing military resources and continuing daily exchanges of fire.
Edgardo Hernal started college at UP Diliman and received his BA in Economics from San Sebastian College, Manila, and Masters in Information Systems Management from Keller Graduate School of Management of DeVry University in Oak Brook, IL. He has 25 years of copy editing and management experience at Thomson West, a subsidiary of Thomson Reuters.
- EDGARDO HERNAL
- EDGARDO HERNAL
- EDGARDO HERNAL
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