New Delhi, July 26: Amid intensifying violence along the Cambodia-Thailand border, the Indian Embassy in Cambodia on Saturday issued a travel advisory urging Indian nationals to avoid travel to the conflict-hit border regions. The advisory follows deadly clashes that have entered their third consecutive day, leaving at least 31 people dead and displacing over 130,000 civilians.
“In view of the ongoing clashes at the Cambodia-Thailand border, Indian nationals are advised to avoid traveling to the border areas,” the advisory stated. It also advised citizens in the region to contact the embassy in case of emergencies.
The advisory from Phnom Penh comes a day after a similar warning was issued by the Indian Embassy in Thailand. That alert discouraged travel to over 20 sensitive locations across multiple provinces, including Ubon Ratchathani, Surin, Sisaket, Buriram, Sa Kaeo, Chanthaburi, and Trat, where hostilities have either erupted or are considered highly volatile.
Saturday saw renewed violence in Thailand’s Trat province, marking a worrying geographic expansion of the conflict which began earlier this year. According to the Thai Navy, new clashes broke out more than 100 kilometers from the initial battlegrounds, fueling fears of a broader regional crisis.
The current flare-up stems from a fatal shooting of a Cambodian soldier during a border skirmish in May. Since then, both countries have reinforced military deployments in disputed areas, leading to the most severe border crisis in over a decade.
Diplomatic efforts are ongoing, with both Bangkok and Phnom Penh seeking international mediation while accusing each other of instigating the violence. Despite calls for ceasefire and negotiation, tensions continue to escalate.
