- UN Human Rights chief Volker Turk voices ‘alarm’ over reports that areas around villages and cultural sites ‘being struck by fighter jets, drones, and artillery’
ISTANBUL
Thousands of Cambodians held a peace rally on Thursday amid ongoing border conflict with Thailand, where the participants urged respect for a ceasefire agreement.
Tens of thousands of Cambodians gathered in the capital, Phnom Penh, to call for peace following the ongoing conflict that began on Dec. 7 and dragged on to its 12th day, killing at least 55 people from both sides.
According to Thailand's authorities, 21 Thai soldiers and 16 civilians have been killed in the conflict, while Cambodia’s Interior Ministry said 18 Cambodian civilians were killed and 78 others injured.
The event, organized by the Union of Youth Federations of Cambodia (UYFC), aimed not only to demonstrate “Cambodia’s commitment to peace but also to urge respect for the ceasefire and the peace agreement between Cambodia and Thailand,” according to state-run Agence Kampuchea Presse.
Leading the march, UYFC chief Hun Many said: “We are all witnessing the consequences of war. This is the second border clash in the seven-month conflict, and the Cambodian people are fully aware of the dangers of war.”
Separately, UN Human Rights Chief Volker Turk said he is alarmed by reports that “areas around villages and cultural sites are being struck by fighter jets, drones, and artillery.”
“Under international humanitarian law, it is very clear that protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure is paramount,” the High Commissioner said, urging both sides to “cease fire immediately and return to dialogue.”
The clashes have continued despite US President Donald Trump saying last week that the leaders of Thailand and Cambodia had agreed to halt the renewed fighting.
The two countries signed a peace agreement in October in Kuala Lumpur in the presence of Trump and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, but that was later suspended after Thai soldiers were seriously injured in a landmine explosion in a border province.
Thailand and Cambodia have a long-running border dispute that has repeatedly erupted into violence, including clashes in July in which at least 48 people were killed.