Escalation in Cambodia-Thailand standoff: At least 11 civilians killed

Cambodia and Thailand saw one of the deadliest episodes in their border dispute in 15 years on Thursday, according to AFP. The two countries blame the other for opening fire first on Thursday morning, with Thai authorities reporting the deaths of 11 civilians.

Provincial officials reported that most of the victims are students, with an 8-year-old boy killed in Surin. A soldier was also reportedly killed, bringing the total death toll to 12.

The disputed area is the Emerald Triangle or Golden Triangle, which both claim as their own and where the Laotian border also meets. While Cambodian rockets and shells were flying towards Thailand, the latter deployed six fighter jets against military targets in Cambodia.

In May, armed clashes broke out in which a Cambodian soldier was killed. Since then, the two sides have exchanged criticism, provocations and reprisals, including restrictions on border crossings and imports.

Just this Wednesday, five Thai soldiers were injured in a mine explosion. In response, Thailand called back its diplomatic envoy in the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh.

The Thai prime minister claimed that an investigation by his country's military found evidence that Cambodia had laid landmines in the disputed area. Phnom Penh denies the allegations, claiming instead that the border areas are still infested with active mines from previous wars.

U.S. issues security alert

"U.S. Citizens are advised to avoid Cambodia-Thailand border areas," the State Department wrote on social media, after issuing a security alert and claiming it was monitoring the situation.

U.S. embassies located in the countries in conflict asked Americans located there to follow the recommendations of local authorities.

China urged its citizens to leave Cambodia. In addition, Chinese diplomatic spokesman Guo Jiakun maintained that the country, which maintains good relations with both sides of the conflict, was "deeply concerned" and called for resolving the problem through dialogue.

The European Union also called for de-escalation. "The EU is deeply concerned by rising tensions at the border with reports of civilian casualties," said Anouar El Anouni, spokesman for the bloc.

Meanwhile, Malaysian Prime Minister and acting Chairman of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Anwar Ibrahim called on both countries to "stand down" and expressed his desire for negotiations to begin.