Thailand-Cambodia Military Tensions Could Escalate to War, Warns Acting Thai PM

The escalation of military exchanges between Thailand and Cambodia could move towards war, Acting Thai Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai has said.

Thai and Cambodian soldiers are continuing to clash along the border between their countries in a major escalation that has so far left at least 16 people dead, mostly Thai civilians.

The two sides fired small arms, artillery and rockets, and Thailand also launched air strikes in the bloodiest military battles in more than a decade between the two South-East Asian neighbours.

Thailand has rejected mediation efforts from third countries to end the ongoing conflict with Cambodia, insisting that Phnom Penh cease attacks and resolve the situation only through bilateral talks, its foreign ministry said on Friday.

The conflict presented a predicament for South-East Asia, a leading expert says, with questions remaining over how the two countries and the region will respond.

Clashes between Thailand and Cambodia have taken place in 12 locations along their disputed border, up from six on Thursday, a Thai military official said.

The conflict erupted after a landmine detonated and wounded five Thai soldiers on Wednesday in an area that Thai authorities said should have been safe.

On Thursday, Cambodia fired rockets and artillery shells into Thailand and the Thai military scrambled F-16 jets to carry out air strikes.

In Bangkok, the Public Health Ministry said a Thai soldier and 14 civilians, including children, were killed, while 46 people, including 15 soldiers, were injured.

Most of the causalities were caused by a rocket strike near a petrol station in Sisaket province.

Public Health Minister Somsak Thepsuthin condemned what he said were the attacks on civilians and a hospital as violations of international humanitarian law and the Geneva Conventions.

The escalation represents a rare instance of military conflict between member countries of the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN), though Thailand has tangled with Cambodia before over the border and has had sporadic skirmishes with western neighbour Myanmar.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged both sides \"to exercise maximum restraint and address any issues through dialogue\", according to UN deputy spokesperson Farhan Haq.

It remains unclear why Cambodia targeted a petrol station in Thailand.

The fighting is the latest chapter in a long-running spat over an area known as the Emerald Triangle, where the borders of both countries and Laos meet.

Locals flee border zones

Fighting was focused on six locations, the Thai army said, with ground troops and tanks battling Cambodian forces for control of territory.

More than 138,000 people and 428 hospital patients from border provinces were evacuated or moved to nearly 300 temporary shelters, the Thai health ministry said.

Six Thai air force jets were deployed, hitting two \"Cambodian military targets on the ground\", according to Thai military deputy spokesperson Ritcha Suksuwanon.

In Cambodia, several hundred villagers moved from their homes near the border to about 30 kilometres deeper inside Oddar Meanchey province.

Director of the Asia-Pacific program at policy think tank Chatham House, Ben Bland, said that domestic politics and public opinion were key driving factors in the conflict.

Thai Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nikorndej Balankura said the government was \"prepared to intensify our self-defence measures if Cambodia persists in its armed aggression and violations upon Thailand's sovereignty\".

Cambodian Defence Ministry spokesperson Lieutenant General Maly Socheata said his country deployed armed force because \"it has no choice but to defend its territory against Thai threats\".

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet wrote to the UN Security Council asking for an urgent meeting \"to stop Thailand's aggression\".

The council scheduled an emergency closed meeting at 3pm in New York on Friday.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong said Australia was \"deeply concerned\" by escalating tensions across the Thai-Cambodian border, including reports of injuries and loss of life.

Malaysia's prime minister said he spoke to both leaders and the United States, European Union, France and China, a close ally of Phnom Penh, all called for peace.

The Australian government has urged travellers to reconsider the need to travel to border areas in both Cambodia and Thailand because of the conflict.