According to international media reports, Cambodia sent an official letter to the UN Security Council requesting an urgent meeting to investigate the “deliberate attack by Thai troops on its military positions in the provinces of Oddar Meanchey and Preah Vihear.”
The attacks, which began yesterday morning, have so far left 11 to 14 mostly civilian deaths, including an 8-year-old child, in Thailand, and displaced about 40,000 Thai border residents.
The Security Council is meeting today, Friday, July 25, to discuss reducing tensions and preventing the spread of conflict.
In response to these clashes, Thailand closed its land borders, recalled its ambassador, and expelled the Cambodian ambassador, while Cambodia downgraded diplomatic relations with Thailand.
The roots of these disputes go back to the Franco-Siamese Treaty (1904-1907) and the dispute over the areas surrounding the Preah Vihear temple, which became Cambodian possession in 1962.
