Thailand has declined mediation offers from third-party countries to resolve its ongoing border conflict with Cambodia, stressing that any resolution must come through direct dialogue and only after Phnom Penh halts its attacks, the Thai Foreign Ministry announced on Friday.
This follows a sharp escalation on Thursday when a Thai F-16 fighter jet targeted a Cambodian military position in retaliation for artillery exchanges that killed at least 11 civilians.
Despite offers of mediation from the United States, China, and Malaysia—ASEAN’s current chair—Thailand remains firm. “We don’t require third-party mediation at this stage,” said Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nikorndej Balankura in a statement to Reuters.
Tensions have risen since May, when a Cambodian soldier was killed in a skirmish, leading to ambassador expulsions and increased troop deployments on both sides.
Thailand maintains that talks will only proceed once all hostilities have ceased.
On Friday, the conflict intensified, with heavy artillery fire exchanged between both nations. At least 16 people were reported dead in the worst border fighting seen in over ten years. Thailand’s military reported pre-dawn clashes in Ubon Ratchathani and Surin provinces, accusing Cambodian forces of using heavy artillery and Russian-made BM-21 rocket systems. Around 100,000 people have been evacuated from Thai border regions.
“The Cambodian military has continued intense shelling with BM-21 rockets and other heavy weapons,” the Thai army stated, adding that Thai forces responded proportionately.
Both countries accuse each other of initiating the violence, which erupted in a disputed area and quickly expanded to six different locations, spanning 209 kilometers.
Thailand and Cambodia have contested sections of their 817-kilometer border—originally mapped by French colonial authorities in 1907—for over a century, fueling repeated tensions.
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