By Anjali Sharma
UNITED NATIONS – UN head Antonio Guterres on Friday has urged “utmost restraint” after intensifying border clashes between Thailand and Cambodia, as the Security Council met behind closed doors on Friday to address the most serious escalation between the two Asian neighbors.
UN reported that the clashes, which began on 24 July, involved exchanges of gunfire, artillery shelling, and rocket fire, with Thailand having conducted airstrikes inside Cambodian territory.
UN humanitarian officials confirmed civilian casualties, including children.
Over 131,000 people in Thailand and over 4,000 in Cambodia have been displaced, according to relief partners.
Temporary shelters, including schools and temples, are overcrowded, and food, shelter and medical assistance are urgently needed.
UN stands ready to support humanitarian efforts if requested, associate spokesperson Stephanie Tremblay said at a regular briefing in New York.
UNICEF also appealed for “maximum restraint”.
June Kunugi, Regional Director for East Asia and the Pacific based in Bangkok urged both countries to protect children and the critical services they depend on, in line with their obligations under international law, including the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
“Children must be protected at all times and their safety and well-being must be prioritized, while schools must remain safe spaces for learning,” she said.
UN Security Council convened an emergency private meeting to discuss the situation.
The representatives of Thailand and Cambodia were said to be in attendance,
Khaled Khiari, Assistant Secretary-General for the Asia and the Pacific at the UN Department of Political Affairs, briefed the council members.
Private meetings of the Security Council are closed to the public but considered a formal meeting.
Thailand and Cambodia had clashes over the border dispute near the historic Preah Vihear temple – a UNESCO World Heritage Site left multiple casualties on both sides.
Former head of the UN Ban Ki-moon called for an immediate, verifiable ceasefire and urged both countries to resolve their dispute through dialogue, not military means.
That escalation followed a 2008 troop build-up around the 11th-century Hindu temple, which sits on the Cambodian side of the border.
