Cambodia claims Thai bombing is hitting deeper into its territory near
shelters for displaced people
[December 15, 2025]
By SOPHENG CHEANG
MONGKOL BOREY, Cambodia (AP) — Heavy combat between Thailand and
Cambodia entered a second week on Monday, with Phnom Penh claiming that
Thai bombing is hitting deeper into its territory, coming close to
shelters for people who had already fled dangerous areas along the
border.
According to Cambodia’s defense and information ministries, shortly
after 10 a.m. local time on Monday, Thai F-16 fighter jets dropped two
bombs near camps for displaced people in the Chong Kal district in the
Oddar Meanchey province and the Srei Snam district in the Siem Reap
province.
The bombing in Srei Snam, located more than 70 kilometers (43 miles)
inside Cambodian territory, targeted a bridge, said the Cambodian
authorities.
Siem Reap is home to Cambodia’s world-famous Angkor Wat temple complex,
a UNESCO World Heritage site and the country’s biggest tourist
attraction.
There was no immediate comment from Thai officials.
Access to the combat zone and nearby areas is limited, so few claims by
either side can be independently verified.
The two sides are battling over longstanding competing claims to patches
of frontier land, some of which contain centuries-old temple ruins.
More than two dozen people on both sides of the border have officially
been reported killed in the past week’s fighting, while more than half a
million have been displaced, according to officials.
Thailand claims to have badly hurt Cambodia's military
At a news conference on Monday morning, Thai officials issued an
estimate of what damage has been inflicted on Cambodia’s military since
a skirmish on Dec. 7 that wounded two Thai soldiers ignited large-scale
fighting the day after.
They said Cambodian losses included 12 tanks, 10 armored vehicles, four
anti-aircraft artillery systems, 7 artillery pieces or mortars, five
anti-drone systems, 175 drones, five communication hubs, and one BM-21
mobile rocket launcher.
Thailand says Cambodia has fired thousands of rockets from the
truck-mounted BM-21 launchers, which have a range of 30-40 kilometers
(19-25 miles) and can fire up to 40 projectiles at a time.
Thailand’s government announced on Sunday that a rocket attack from
Cambodia had killed a 63-year-old villager, its first civilian death
reported as a direct result of combat.
Col. Ritcha Suksuwanon, a Thai army deputy spokesperson, said on Sunday
an intact Chinese GAM-102LR guided anti-tank missile system was seized.
Thailand estimates among Cambodia’s losses some 82 military positions
and 505 Cambodian military personnel reportedly killed.
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A member of a Thai Explosive Ordnance Disposal team shows pieces of
shrapnel as they inspect the site of a rocket attack during clashes
between Thai and Cambodian soldiers in Kantharalak district of
Sisaket province, Thailand, Monday, Dec. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Sakchai
Lalit)
Cambodia has dismissed as disinformation previous Thai estimates of
its military death toll but has not released its own figures.
Thailand acknowledges the deaths of 16 of its troops.
Phnom Penh said Monday that 15 civilians have been killed and 73
wounded.
Thailand seeks to choke off supplies to Cambodia
Thai officials also said they were trying to cut off the supply of
fuel and weapons to Cambodia, but denied reports that a full-scale
naval blockade would be mounted. Capt. Nara Khunkothom, assistant
spokesperson for the Thai Navy, said only Thai-registered vessels
would be subject to their controls in what they have officially
designated a “high-risk area” in the Gulf of Thailand.
Officials also said fuel and weapons would no longer be allowed to
go through a major land checkpoint to neighboring Laos that is close
to Cambodian territory, declaring that military supplies and
logistical support must be cut off.
In a surprise admission, Thai officials implicitly acknowledged that
attacks had damaged centuries-old Ta Kwai temple — known to
Cambodians as Ta Krabey — in a disputed area, but blamed Cambodia
for allegedly using it as a military stronghold.
Phnombootra Chandrajoti, director-general of Thailand's Fine Arts
Department, said that historical sites should not be used as bases
for military operations and that the most important priority is that
Thailand must secure and preserve the area.
The new fighting derailed a ceasefire promoted by U.S. President
Donald Trump that ended five days of earlier combat in July. It had
been brokered by Malaysia and pushed through by pressure from Trump,
who threatened to withhold trade privileges unless Thailand and
Cambodia agreed. It was formalized in more detail in October at a
regional meeting in Malaysia that Trump attended.
Trump announced this past Friday that the two countries had agreed
at his urging to renew the ceasefire, but Thai Prime Minister Anutin
Charnvirakul denied making any commitment and Cambodia announced it
was continuing to fight in what it said is self-defense.
—
Associated Press writers Grant Peck and Wasamon Audjarint in Bangkok
contributed to this report.
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