Cambodia’s Ministry of Interior on Tuesday accused Thailand of causing extensive damage to civilian infrastructure during ongoing cross-border attacks, saying the assaults have crippled public services and forced hundreds of thousands of people from their homes.
In a press release detailing impacts from 6pm on December 15 to 7am on December 16, the ministry said that since hostilities escalated on December 7, Thai military actions have resulted in the destruction of dozens of civilian facilities across multiple provinces, despite no new damage being reported during the latest reporting period.
According to the ministry, a total of 42 civilian houses have been damaged or destroyed, along with one school, one healthcare centre and one community agricultural centre.
Religious and cultural sites have also been hit, including one ancient temple, four pagodas, one Buddhist almshouse, one monks’ residence and one historic bridge.
The damage extends to public and commercial infrastructure, with one customs and excise office building, four casino buildings, three hotels and three other structures affected.
Transport and logistics facilities have not been spared: one stone bridge, one steel bridge, one bridgehead, one gas station, a cassava storage warehouse and five vehicles — including one motorcycle and four cars — have been reported damaged.
“Notably, on the morning of December 15, Thailand deployed F-16 fighter jets to strike along the border between Srei Snam district, Siem Reap province, and Chong Kal district, Oddar Meanchey province, a distance of more than 70 kilometres from the border,” said the ministry.
“These attacks have led to the near-total suspension of essential public services, including administrative services, healthcare and education, across cities, districts and communes,” the statement added, attributing the disruption to intensified strikes on civilian areas using “all types and forms of weapons” by the Royal Thai Army, Navy and Air Force.
While no new civilian deaths or injuries were reported during the latest 13-hour window, the ministry said the cumulative toll since December 7 has reached 15 civilians killed and 76 injured.
The destruction of civilian infrastructure has coincided with a massive displacement crisis.
As of 7am on December 16, authorities recorded 126,508 displaced families — equivalent to 422,698 people — across seven provinces, including Preah Vihear, Oddar Meanchey, Banteay Meanchey, Battambang, Pursat, Koh Kong and Siem Reap.
Women and children account for the majority of those displaced with approximately 217,000 women and around 127,000 children, the ministry said.
The ministry said Cambodia continues to mobilise national resources to protect civilians and maintain territorial integrity, while calling attention to what it described as the severe humanitarian and infrastructure impacts of Thailand’s military actions on civilian areas.
