SA KAEO – The Thai Army used tank main guns on Tuesday to demolish a casino building in Cambodia, just across the border from Sa Kaeo, one day after a Thai air force F-16 struck another casino site that was also being used by Cambodian forces.
The 1st Army Region reported on Tuesday afternoon that the 11th special unit of the Burapa Task Force deployed tanks against a casino complex in Cambodia near the Ban Ta Phraya temporary border crossing.
According to the statement, the casino had been used as a storage point for artillery, machine guns, and other weapons that were then used to attack Thai territory.
On Monday, a Thai F-16 fighter jet bombed a separate Cambodian casino across the border opposite the north-eastern province of Ubon Ratchathani. The Thai army said that this building had previously been abandoned and had later been turned into a drone command centre.
The 1st Army also reported that Cambodian artillery shells struck two Thai houses in Ban Khok Thahan, in tambon Thap Sadet of Sa Kaeo, at about 1 am on Tuesday. No injuries were reported.
Cambodia Calls for Bilateral Talks
At the same time, Cambodia signalled that it was ready for immediate bilateral talks with Thailand to end the intense border clashes, a senior adviser to its prime minister said on Tuesday. The offer came after both sides accused each other of breaching a truce arranged by US President Donald Trump.
The two neighbours used heavy weapons at several points along their shared 817-kilometre land border during a second straight day of fighting, after the collapse of a ceasefire that had been agreed to stop a previous round of clashes in July.
At least 13 people have been killed, and hundreds of thousands have again been forced from their homes on both sides of the frontier. So far, however, both governments have appeared unwilling to step back and move towards talks.
“Let’s say one hour from now, both sides agree to be at the table and then start communication,” Suos Yara, senior adviser to Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet, told Reuters in a video interview from Phnom Penh. “This would be a very good idea.”
In a separate interview with Reuters on Tuesday, Thailand’s foreign affairs minister, Sihasak Phuangketkeow, said Cambodia would first need to show genuine intent and take the initial step to ease tensions. He ruled out any mediation by a third party.
He added that the threat of tariffs should not be used to pressure Thailand into entering talks with Cambodia or halting the renewed border clashes, stressing that the responsibility to cool the situation lay with its neighbour.
Rubio Says White House Concerned
The United States is concerned by the ongoing fighting and the rising number of casualties, the State Department said on Tuesday.
“We strongly urge the immediate cessation of hostilities, the protection of civilians, and for both sides to return to the de-escalatory measures outlined in the October 26 Kuala Lumpur Peace Accords,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement.
Trump has not yet commented publicly on the renewed conflict, but a US administration official said on Monday that the president was “committed to the continued cessation of violence and expects the governments of Cambodia and Thailand to fully honour their commitments to end this conflict”.
Trump and Malaysian Premier Anwar Ibrahim took part in talks in July that brought an end to five days of intense fighting, which left at least 48 dead. Both leaders were also present at the signing of an extended truce agreement in October.
Thailand has repeatedly accused Cambodia of breaching that agreement, including by planting new landmines. Last month, after a landmine explosion that severely injured a Thai soldier, Bangkok withdrew from the pact.
Cambodia rejects the accusations and maintains that it has followed the October peace deal. “A landmine is not an excuse for the war,” Suos Yara said.
Amid the continuing clashes, Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul on Tuesday ruled out talks, stating that the military had his government’s full support to continue its operations. Yesterday, two more Thai soldiers were killed in the latest border clashes with Cambodia, raising the Thai death toll to three since Sunday.
