Thailand-Cambodia Border Violence Leaves 14 Dead, Over 1 Lakh Displaced

<p>Around 14 people, including a Thai solider, was killed while several other people suffered injuries in one of the most intense border violence in Thailand and Cambodia in over a decade on Thursday, amid a series of rocket and artillery exchanges. The fighting, which follows weeks of escalating tensions over a long-standing territorial dispute, has displaced more than 100,000 civilians.</p>
<h3>Thailand Cambodia Dispute Recent Flashpoint</h3>
<p>Hostilities broke out early Thursday across six flashpoints near the contested border area. Thai authorities allege the confrontation began after Cambodian forces launched rockets and artillery into Thai territory, killing 13 civilians&mdash;among them an eight-year-old child&mdash;and one Thai soldier, as per a report on Associated Press. At least 46 others, including 14 military personnel, were wounded in the assault.</p>
<p>Among the targets hit was a hospital in Thailand&rsquo;s Surin province. Thai Health Minister Somsak Thepsuthin strongly condemned the strike, calling it a possible war crime, as per reports.</p>
<p>The immediate trigger appears to have been a landmine explosion near the border that injured five Thai soldiers. In response, Thailand recalled its ambassador from Phnom Penh and expelled Cambodia&rsquo;s top diplomat from Bangkok, reported Guardian. Both nations continue to trade accusations over who instigated the fighting.</p>
<h3>Thailand Cambodia Border Dispute</h3>
<p>The latest violence stems from a bitter and unresolved dispute over overlapping claims along the 817-kilometer border, with both sides citing different colonial-era maps.<br /><br />Previous border clashes between 2008 and 2011 left dozens dead and forced thousands from their homes.</p>
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