Thailand, Cambodia clashes force more than 500,000 civilians to flee border areas

“Civilians have had to evacuate in large numbers due to what we
assessed as an imminent threat to their safety. More than 400,000 people have been moved to safe shelters” across seven provinces, Thai Defence Ministry spokesperson Surasant Kongsiri told reporters at a news conference.

“We want to prevent a recurrence of the attacks on civilians we suffered in July 2025.”

In Cambodia, “101,229 people have been evacuated to safe shelters and relatives’ homes in five provinces,” as of Tuesday evening, Defence Ministry spokeswoman Maly Socheata told reporters.

The Southeast Asian neighbours dispute the colonial-era demarcation of their 800km frontier, where competing claims to historic temples have spilled over into armed conflict.