Fighting spreads to Trat as Cambodian troops target Thai navy ship

Cambodian troops launched attacks on a new front in Thailand’s coastal Trat province early this morning, targeting a Royal Thai Navy warship on patrol, prompting Thai forces to return fire at Cambodian positions in the Koh Kong area.

At around 2am, repeated artillery fire was heard from Thailand crossing into Koh Kong in Cambodia, causing widespread alarm.

On the Cambodian side, many residents fled their homes, resulting in traffic being gridlocked on all routes in the city of Khemarin. Images of the traffic congestion were widely circulated on social media.

The Royal Thai Navy (RTN) reported that Cambodian troops fired artillery from fortified positions in Koh Kong, targeting a Thai Navy warship conducting patrols in waters off Hat Lek.

The exchanges marked what was described as a newly opened front in the Hat Lek–Koh Kong area.

Thai Marines are reported to have returned fire throughout the night and, for the first time, detected the presence of bomb-laden drones in the area. Cambodian forces are reported to have continued firing BM-21 rockets.

There have been no reports of civilian injuries, as most residents had evacuated from high-risk zones in advance.

Rear Admiral Paraj Ratanajaipan, spokesman for the RTN, said artillery shells and other explosive ordnance fired by Cambodian forces landed in civilian communities on the Thai side, including temples and residential homes, areas clearly designated for civilian habitation.

He said the incident involved military conduct that disregarded civilian safety and failed to comply with International Humanitarian Law (IHL), describing it as a provocative act that heightened tensions and posed an unacceptable threat to peace and stability in the area.

Meanwhile, a Thai Air Force F-16 fighter jet bombed a strategic bridge this morning in the Veal Veng district of Cambodia’s Pursat province.

The Army Military Force website reported that the Chai Chum Nea Bridge is located about five kilometres from the Thai border with Thailand’s eastern province of Trat and was being used by Cambodian forces to transport weapons, munitions and other strategic supplies to their frontline troops.

The webpage also reposted several pictures showing damage to the bridge and a parallel bridge, which had been posted on social media by Cambodian users.