Yesterday, July 27, a BM-21 rocket attack from Cambodia struck a civilian area in the Sao Thong Chai subdistrict of Sisaket, Thailand, resulting in one death and one injury.
This incident is part of escalating hostilities along the Thailand-Cambodia border, intensifying since July 24, amid a longstanding territorial dispute centred around the Ta Muen Thom and Preah Vihear temple regions.
Colonel Ritcha Suksuwanon, deputy spokesperson for the Royal Thai Army, reported that a BM-21 rocket, a Soviet-designed multiple rocket launcher with a range of 20 to 40 kilometres, was fired from Cambodian territory and landed in the Sao Thong Chai subdistrict at around 5pm yesterday, July 27.
The rocket severely damaged seven homes, killing a 59 year old woman and injuring a 48 year old man. Both were volunteer village sentries involved in border surveillance amidst the conflict.
Military personnel provided initial medical assistance and transported the injured to Sisaket Hospital. The Royal Thai Army denounced the attack as a deliberate act against civilians, violating international humanitarian law.
This attack follows a previous incident on July 24, when Cambodian BM-21 rockets hit civilian areas, including a convenience store at a PTT gas station in Ban Phue, Kantharalak district. This resulted in multiple fatalities, including an eight year old boy, and injured 13 others.
Rocket attack
The Thai military reported that these attacks targeted various civilian infrastructures, such as homes, a hospital, and a supermarket, escalating accusations of war crimes.
The current conflict marks the most severe fighting between Thailand and Cambodia in over 13 years, stemming from a historical dispute over their 817-kilometre border, particularly near the Ta Muen Thom and Preah Vihear temples.
Tensions escalated after a May clash resulted in a Cambodian soldier’s death, followed by a landmine explosion on July 23 that injured five Thai soldiers, one of whom lost a leg. Thailand accused Cambodia of laying the mines, a claim Cambodia denied, asserting that the area still contains remnants from past conflicts.
On July 24, clashes erupted at six border locations, including Ta Muen Thom, Ta Kwai Temple, and Chong An Ma, with mutual accusations of initiating the violence. Cambodia reportedly launched BM-21 rockets from Khao Laem Hill, targeting Thai civilian areas, while Thailand retaliated with F-16 airstrikes on Cambodian military targets, destroying two command posts.
Yesterday, July 27, the Thai military reported 14 civilian deaths, including children, and 36 injuries across Sisaket, Surin, Ubon Ratchathani, and Buriram provinces.
Cambodia has not disclosed its casualty figures but condemned Thailand’s airstrikes near the UNESCO-listed Preah Vihear temple as a cultural disaster. The conflict has displaced over 130,000 civilians in Thailand, with ongoing evacuations in high-risk districts like Kantharalak and Kap Choeng.
Cambodia reported evacuating 1,500 families from Oddar Meanchey province. Both countries have closed border checkpoints, recalled ambassadors, and downgraded diplomatic relations.
This conflict coincides with political unrest in Thailand, where Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra faces suspension over a leaked diplomatic call with Cambodia’s former leader Hun Sen, intensifying nationalist sentiments, reported The Pattaya News.
The story Cambodian rocket attack on Sisaket kills one, injures another as seen on Thaiger News.
