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A new round of fighting between Thailand and Cambodia has raised concerns for travellers heading to two of Southeast Asia’s most popular holiday destinations.
Tensions boiled over on 8 December when Thailand launched airstrikes against what it says are military installations across the border in Cambodia. Both sides accused the other of firing first.
Border clashes are still ongoing. As a result, the UK government is now advising citizens against all travel within 50 kilometres of the entire Thai-Cambodian border, which runs some 800 kilometres.
Clashes continue despite international ceasefire efforts
The skirmishes come just two months after a US-brokered peace plan was announced. They also follow a November land mine blast that stalled efforts to guarantee a ceasefire after fighting in July left 40 dead and forced the closure of land borders.
In the latest clashes, which are soon to enter their second week, at least 52 people have been killed. More than 700,000 people living in border provinces have been displaced, with many sheltering in makeshift camps.
The fighting has so far occurred only in remote frontier districts far from cities typically visited by tourists.
However, the latest travel advisory from the UK government moves the danger zone increasingly close to popular tourist islands in the Thai province of Trat.
Despite the clashes, flights to Thailand keep operating
Thailand and Cambodia are very popular travel destinations over the winter holidays as cold weather grips much of the northern hemisphere. But the conflict has not put a damper on winter travel and has yet to affect major tourist hubs.
The fighting is far from popular travel sites, including Bangkok, Phuket, Chiang Mai, Siem Reap and Phnom Penh.
But last Tuesday, clashes along Thailand’s Trat border brought the fighting close to the tourist islands of Koh Chang, Koh Kood and Koh Mak. Of the Thai provinces bordering Cambodia, only Chanthaburi has so far avoided the fighting.
Martial law is in effect in parts of Chanthaburi, Trat and Sa Kaeo provinces, according to the Tourism Authority of Thailand. Meanwhile, rail services from Bangkok currently end in Aranyaprathet rather than the border checkpoint.
Despite the attacks, a spokesperson for Cambodia’s civil aviation authority told local reporters that flights between Bangkok, Phnom Penh and Siem Reap continue to operate normally, though some airspace remains closed until further notice.
Land borders, however, are closed for entry and exit, meaning travellers cannot currently cross between the two countries by road.
What do national advisories say?
Citing ongoing gunfire, artillery use and the presence of unexploded landmines, the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) has levelled up its travel warning for Thailand and Cambodia:
“FCDO now advises against all travel to within 50km of the whole border with Cambodia except for Koh Chang, Koh Kood and the other islands in between them, where FCDO continues to advise against all but essential travel.”
Several temple sites straddling the frontier, including Cambodia’s contested Preah Vihear, known as Khao Phra Wihan in Thailand, are closed.
But the FCDO has not issued a wider warning against travel to Thailand or Cambodia, and both countries’ major airports, resorts and cities remain open.
Cautious travellers in the UK should note that unless the advisory warns against nationwide travel in Thailand or Cambodia, refunds will not be guaranteed.