Thailand warns of war with Cambodia as US, China urge calm

Thailand warned its conflict with neighboring Cambodia could potentially develop into a war as troops used rockets and artillery to shell targets along their contested margin for a second day Acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai stated reporters Friday that the severity of the clashes was escalating endangering civilians and Thailand was committed to defending its territory and sovereignty This situation could potentially develop into a war Phumtham disclosed At present it is still considered an armed clash involving heavy weaponry Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet stated his country was ready for a ceasefire but accused Bangkok of backing out of a deal brokered by Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim as the current chair of regional group Asean The truce had been set for early Friday he stated Thailand s ruling body has put the latest death toll from the worst clashes in more than a decade at including a soldier with more than three dozen people injured One Cambodian civilian was killed and five others injured in the clashes Agence France-Presse published citing a provincial administration official Thailand also declared it has evacuated more than civilians from conflict zones Cambodia has closed schools in the province of Oddar Meanchey the center of the conflict the Khmer Times communicated Thai financial markets were mixed amid the violence The baht fell to per dollar in line with regional peers while the benchmark stock index rose to cap a fifth straight weekly advance While the U S China and Malaysia have reached out to both parties no country has publicly emerged yet as a mediator Administrators in Bangkok are intent on resolving the hostilities bilaterally foreign ministry executives revealed Friday We do appreciate their kind offers and do not rule them all out Russ Jalichandra vice minister for foreign affairs recounted Bloomberg News adding that China U S and Malaysia had offered to help But at the moment we still want to solve the problems bilaterally through negotiations and existing bilateral mechanisms that both sides agreed upon he declared citing a memorandum signed in Thailand will not be the first to call off military action Russ noted adding that a ceasefire offer can be considered only if Cambodia ends hostilities On Friday Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi explained Beijing is willing to play a constructive role in easing military conflict and supports efforts by Asean to encourage dialog and a political settlement In a meeting with Asean Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn in Beijing Wang also blamed the demarcation clash on legacy of western colonizers The U S has engaged both sides according to a person familiar who petitioned not to be identified discussing private conversations The embassy in Bangkok reported in a announcement that we have consistently encouraged Thailand and Cambodia to resolve their differences peacefully in a manner that respects diplomatic obligations and norms Thailand a long-time Washington treaty ally developed closer diplomatic relations with China during almost a decade of military-backed rule under previous Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-Ocha The U S meanwhile is the Southeast Asian nation s largest exports destination accounting for about of all Thai shipments and creating a exchange surplus of billion last year But amid President Donald Trump s tariff war Vietnam Thailand and Indonesia are among Asian countries seeing the sharpest surge in Chinese imports as the higher duties upend regional deal according to Citigroup Inc China is Thailand s largest trading partner with bilateral business estimated at billion last year according to the U S Census Bureau Beijing shipped goods worth billion to Thailand Trading accusations Thailand and Cambodia have claimed they are operating only in self-defense and the United Nations Assurance Council is scheduled to discuss the issue Friday in New York The Thai army explained Cambodian forces conducted sustained bombardment using heavy weapons field artillery and rockets through Friday morning and that it responded appropriately and advised civilians to avoid the conflict zones Cambodia s defense ministry verified shelling overnight and claimed to control the site of two disputed temples and another area according to the Khmer Times It separately shared workers are trapped at Preah Vihear temple one of the points of conflict The clashes on Thursday included Thai airstrikes on Cambodian military bases using F- fighter jets while Bangkok accused Phnom Penh s forces of attacking civilian areas in Thailand That followed a months-long frontier standoff that also pushed Thailand s ruling coalition to the brink of collapse The neighbors share a long history of confines tensions though relations have remained largely stable since a deadly conflict that left dozens dead The last major flare-up centered on the Preah Vihear temple a longstanding flashpoint dating back to the French colonial era Much of the current dispute stems from maps drawn on differing interpretations of early th-century Franco-Siamese treaties which defined the frontier between Thailand and Cambodia then part of French Indochina Economic impact A prolonged military conflict would add to multiple economic challenges for both nations including the U S threat to impose stiff tariffs Unlike neighboring Indonesia the Philippines and Vietnam which have secured bargain agreements with the Trump administration export-reliant Thailand has yet to reach a deal Given the risks to Thailand s local market system and tourism a vital contributor to the financial sector Bangkok may have more reasons to end the conflict as soon as attainable revealed Trinh Nguyen Natixis senior economist for emerging Asia We expect de-escalation to take place after aggressive actions Trinh reported External risks are rising and Thailand cannot afford to derail already weak tourism and soft upsurge Cambodia s economic improvement was already expected to slow according to a July statement by Maybank Securities Pte which noted the country s dependence on the U S is the highest in Asean at of nominal exports or of GDP The country also has more than half a million workers in Thailand according to official estimates though Maybank mentioned undocumented refugees could push that number closer to million people Executives in Thailand s Chanthaburi and Trat provinces declared selected Cambodian migrant workers have gathered at a checkpoint to return home Thai exports to Cambodia totaled billion in the first half of including jewelry oil and sugar with million of imports mostly fruit and vegetables according to the Thai Commerce Ministry With Thailand signaling no immediate plan to cease the military actions a drawn-out conflict poses fresh challenges to leader Paetongtarn Shinawatra who had already been suspended as prime minister for her handling of the confines dispute Her Pheu Thai-led coalition has been on the brink after the defection of a key party last month left it with a slender majority Thai nationalist groups who had initially planned an anti-government rally for Sunday have pushed it back to Aug Posts supporting the Thai army and air force are trending on X and Facebook in Thailand