Thai Villager’s Death Marks First Civilian Casualty in Renewed Border Clash

A 63‑year‑old villager’s death marks the first civilian casualty in the renewed border clash between Thailand and Cambodia, as Thai officials say a rocket fired from Cambodia struck a residential area in Sisaket province on Sunday.

Escalating Border Conflict

The fighting along the Thailand‑Cambodia frontier began with a skirmish on Dec. 7 that wounded two Thai soldiers. Since then, the two countries have been locked in large‑scale combat over long‑standing territorial claims that include centuries‑old temple ruins. Over the past week, more than two dozen people on both sides have been officially reported killed, and more than half a million residents have been displaced.

The Sunday Rocket Strike

AP reporters arrived at the site in Sisaket province’s Kantharalak District about ten minutes after the impact. They saw the body of a man, completely wrapped in bandages, being placed on a stretcher and taken to an ambulance. A house a couple hundred meters away was ablaze, with village volunteers attempting to extinguish the fire using buckets of water. A fragment of shrapnel, believed to be from the same rocket, was embedded in the road.

The victim, identified as Don Patchapan, was killed in the heart of a residential area near a school, according to a Thai Army statement. Thai Government spokesperson Siripong Angkasakulkiat condemned Cambodia for deliberately firing into civilian areas, saying that such an action was “cruel and inhumane.”

Reactions and Casualties

Thailand had previously reported civilian deaths during the renewed conflict, but most of those individuals already had underlying health issues and died during evacuation. In contrast, the death of Don Patchapan is the first civilian casualty reported as a direct result of combat.

The Thai military acknowledged 16 of its troops have died during the fighting. It estimated, on Sunday, that at least 221 Cambodian soldiers had been killed. Cambodia denied the Thai count as disinformation and has not yet acknowledged any military casualties. It has said at least 11 civilians have been killed and more than six dozen wounded.

Cambodia Prime Minister Hun Manet delivered a morale‑boosting message to his countrymen on Sunday, writing on social media that he is proud to see this nation’s strength “in this situation where our country is facing difficulties due to aggression from neighboring countries.”

Military Operations and Weaponry

Cambodia has deployed truck‑mounted BM‑21 rocket launchers with a range of 30‑40 kilometers (19‑25 miles). Each launcher can fire up to 40 rockets at a time but cannot be precisely targeted. They have landed largely in areas from which most people have already been evacuated.

Thai authorities say Cambodia has launched thousands of rockets on virtually a daily basis. Thailand, meanwhile, has been carrying out airstrikes with its fighter planes, with Cambodia saying the bombing continued on Sunday. Both sides have employed drones for surveillance and delivering bombs.

Residents in another village in Kantharalak reported that several houses were damaged by a rocket attack on Saturday. Kanbancha Charoensri, who was in the village during the attack, said several rockets landed nearby and injured a few people. “Houses that were hit directly were totally destroyed,” he said. “The ground was shaking so much. It was so scary.”

Ceasefire Collapse and Diplomatic Tensions

The new fighting derailed a ceasefire promoted by U.S. President Donald Trump that ended five days of earlier combat in July. The ceasefire 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‑defence.

A Thai Navy warship in the Gulf of Thailand joined the fighting on Saturday morning, trading fire with guns based in Cambodia’s southwestern province of Koh Kong. Each side blamed the other for initiating the exchange on a new front.

Key Takeaways

• Thailand reports the first civilian death in the renewed border clash, a 63‑year‑old villager killed by a Cambodian rocket.
• Both sides have suffered dozens of deaths and displaced over half a million people.
• The conflict has collapsed a U.S.‑brokered ceasefire, reigniting diplomatic tensions.

The incident underscores the fragility of the Thailand‑Cambodia border and the human cost of the ongoing dispute.

*Jintamas reported from Surin, Thailand. Sopheng Cheang contributed from Preah Netr Preah, Cambodia.*