HANOI, December 12. /TASS/. The current escalation on the border between Cambodia and Thailand has claimed the lives of 11 Cambodians, leaving 76 more wounded, Cambodia’s interior ministry said.
According to the ministry, the border clashes have driven some 270,000 Cambodians out of their homes since the end of last week. Earlier reports said that the country’s authorities have temporarily closed more than 900 schools with more than 216,000 students and 7,600 teachers in border provinces.
Armed clashes began on the border of Thailand and Cambodia on December 7. According to the Cambodian defense ministry, the Thai military staged an attack on the Cambodian positions after several days of provocative activities in the border areas.
On Monday, the Royal Thai Army reported that Cambodian forces began shelling Thai positions in the border area early in the morning. The Thai Air Force responded by attacking Cambodian military infrastructure. The Thai Second Army Area also reported that Cambodia had shelled Thai territory on Monday and Tuesday with BM-21 multiple rocket launchers and kamikaze drones. The Thai military returned fire in order to establish control over key areas and inflict damage on the enemy.