Fighting on the border between Cambodia and Thailand intensifies despite pressure from Trump: more than 50 dead

The Internal Security Operations Command of Thailand raised the number of dead Thai soldiers to 19 on Wednesday and maintained the number of civilians at 16, while the spokeswoman for the Cambodian Ministry of Defense, Maly Socheata, reported 17 civilian deaths, including a child.

Official figures place the number of fatalities due to the conflict at over fifty, which responds to the historic dispute that the two countries are dragging on over the sovereignty of territories close to their common borderabout 820 kilometers and mapped by France in 1907, when Cambodia was part of French Indochina.

Phnom Penh assured today that Thai forces have “intensified their attacks” at certain points on the border in recent hours and stressed that they have carried out new bombings with F-16 fighter jets.

In addition to an armed battle, the two neighboring countries are fighting a war of numbers: Cambodia avoids disseminating information regarding deceased soldiers, while the Thai authorities maintain that there are more than 500 casualties on the opposing side.

Last week, Cambodian authorities branded as “false” the information on deaths among its soldiers released by Thailand, whose Ministry of Defense alluded to the fact that There is also an “information war”according to local media this Wednesday.

The new wave of crossed attacks, whose trigger is uncertain and which the two sides accuse each other of having started, broke out on December 7 and has now lasted 11 days, compared to the five days that the episode of violence lasted in July, which ceased after the mediation of several countries, including the United States.

The American president, Donald Trumpsaid at the end of last week that both countries had agreed to resume the ceasefire that they signed under his auspices and expanded in October. But despite this intervention and the calls made with the leaders of Thailand and Cambodia, the conflict continues to escalate in intensity.

“(Trump) should ask Cambodia to stop shooting at Thailand first, because Thailand has never shot first,” the Thai prime minister defended this Wednesday. Anutin Charnvirakulwho holds office on an interim basis after calling early elections.

The fragile truce was blown up almost two weeks ago due to a land mine that killed several Thai soldiers in the disputed border area. An explosive that, according to reports from Bangkok, Phnom Penh forces planted only a few months ago.