Border battle expands as Thailand and Cambodia clash for second day  

Heavy clashes between Thailand and Cambodia continued for a second day on Tuesday, spreading to new parts of their contested border as both sides traded accusations of targeting civilians. Thailand said its tanks and fighter jets struck Cambodian military sites, while Phnom Penh accused Bangkok of “indiscriminately” shelling residential areas — a claim Thailand denied.

Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul ruled out talks, saying the military would proceed with planned operations. Both countries reported mass evacuations: Cambodia said nine civilians were killed and 20 injured, while Thailand reported three soldiers dead and 29 others wounded.

The fighting is the most intense since July, when U.S. President Donald Trump brokered a ceasefire after days of deadly artillery exchanges. That agreement has been under strain since Thailand suspended de-escalation steps last month.

Hostilities have now broken out along multiple stretches of the 817-km border, from the Laos frontier to Thailand’s coastal province of Trat. Thailand accused Cambodia of using artillery, rockets and bomb-dropping drones, while Cambodia’s former leader Hun Sen said his country had waited 24 hours to respect the ceasefire before launching counterattacks to “defend our territory.”

Thousands on both sides have fled. Videos from Cambodia showed long lines of cars leaving border towns, while evacuees in Thailand sheltered in makeshift camps. One woman displaced for the second time said simply: “I want this to be the last fight to end it all.”

Thailand’s military, far larger than Cambodia’s, said its operations target only military positions to degrade Cambodian capabilities. Border disputes between the two neighbours have simmered for more than a century, occasionally erupting into armed conflict.