Cambodia says it is preparing to file a case against Thailand at the International Criminal Court, accusing Thai forces of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
The announcement was made as fighting along the border entered a fourth day, with Phnom Penh reporting rising civilian casualties, mass displacement, and widespread damage to schools.
Kin Phea, president of the Institute of International Relations at the Royal Academy of Cambodia, wrote on social media that Cambodian authorities are collecting evidence of Thai military attacks to submit a formal complaint to the ICC. Cambodia is a state party to the court.
He said the use of heavy weapons of all kinds, including fighter jets dropping bombs on civilian areas inside Cambodia, amounted to a serious violation of Cambodia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
According to Kin Phea, the actions carried out by the Thai military constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity.
The claim follows several days of intensified cross-border violence affecting both civilians and Cambodian security forces.
In a statement issued on December 11, Cambodia’s Ministry of National Defence reported that at 3:45 a.m., Thai forces deployed F-16 fighter jets, dropping three bombs in the O’ Phluk Damrey area of Pursat Province.
The ministry stated that from 4:40 am onwards, the Thai military launched eight further attacks using artillery, tanks, and F-16 aircraft. Targets reportedly included Khnar Temple, Thma Don, the Mok Tasim area, O’ Smach, Ta Krabey Temple, and O’ Phluk Damrey in Pursat province.
The defence ministry reported that over three days of attacks, at least ten Cambodian civilians have been killed, including one child. Sixty people have been injured across three provinces, with eight in Oddar Meanchey, one in Preah Vihear, and five in Banteay Meanchey. Most of the injured are civilians.
More than fifty thousand families have been displaced by the fighting, with a total of nearly one hundred ninety-two thousand people affected across six provinces.
The Ministry of Education, Youth, and Sport said that three hundred seventy-seven schools in four border provinces have been closed, including Oddar Meanchey, Banteay Meanchey, Preah Vihear, and Pursat. The closures have disrupted classes for almost seventy-eight thousand students and more than three thousand teachers.
Cambodian officials said Thai forces carried out eleven attacks on December 10, involving artillery fire, bomb dropping bombs from drones, and F-16 fighter jets. Two attacks were reported on December 9, while fifteen incidents were recorded on December 8.
December 7 marked the first day of the fighting, with three attacks reported that day.
