Phnom Penh, Dec 9 (NationPress) On Tuesday, Cambodia announced the closure of 514 educational institutions in its border provinces due to escalating conflicts with Thailand.

According to a press release from the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport, as of December 9, 2025, these closures have impacted around 130,000 students and 4,650 educators, as reported by Xinhua News Agency.

The provinces most affected include Oddar Meanchey, Preah Vihear, and Banteay Meanchey.

The renewed conflict along the Cambodia-Thailand border reignited on Sunday afternoon.

Lt. Gen. Maly Socheata, the Cambodian Defence Ministry's Undersecretary of State and Spokesperson, confirmed on Tuesday that seven Cambodian civilians lost their lives in this ongoing strife.

Cambodian Minister of Information Neth Pheaktra reported that at least 16,568 families, totaling 54,550 individuals, have evacuated their homes near the border seeking safety.

Earlier reports from Cambodia's Defence Ministry indicated that the Thai military persisted in firing at Cambodian forces and civilians overnight from Monday into Tuesday, resulting in the death of two Cambodian civilians traveling along a national road.

Since 04:45 a.m. on Tuesday, the Thai army has continued its assaults on Cambodian provinces including Preah Vihear, Oddar Meanchey, and Pursat.

Just months after Thailand and Cambodia signed a joint peace declaration, violent clashes erupted again, with artillery fire reported in various regions, prompting residents in several provinces to evacuate. Both parties have accused each other of instigating the hostilities, confirming casualties on both sides.

The Thai Army reported deploying fighter jets in response to Cambodian attacks that resulted in two soldiers being killed and four injured. Meanwhile, a Cambodian defense spokesperson claimed that Thai soldiers opened fire on Cambodian troops for the second consecutive day.

Thai Army Spokesperson Winthai Suvaree noted that the incident occurred around 07:00 a.m. local time in the Chong Bok area of Nam Yuen District, where Thai soldiers were attacked with “supporting fire weapons,” resulting in five casualties.

This fatal engagement followed an earlier confrontation in the nearby Chong An Ma area around 05:05 a.m. local time, where Cambodian forces opened fire with small arms and indirect weapons, prompting a response from the Thai side based on the rules of engagement.

Responding to the fatalities and what it termed a “direct threat to national security,” the Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) confirmed it has initiated air operations targeting Cambodian military infrastructure.

RTAF Spokesperson Jackkrit Thammavichai stated, “These developments necessitated the use of air power to deter and minimize Cambodia's military capabilities, ensuring national security and civilian protection.”

On the same day, Lt. Gen. Maly Socheata stated that around 05:04 a.m. on Monday, Thai military forces launched an attack on Cambodian forces in the An Ses area of Preah Vihear province.

She added, “Following that, they continued to fire multiple rounds with tanks at Tamoan Thom temple, 5 Makara near Preah Vihear temple, and Chomka Chek area.”

“It's important to highlight that this attack followed numerous provocative actions from Thai forces, particularly the incident at Prorlean Thmar area yesterday (Sunday), aimed at instigating confrontations,” Socheata remarked.

She emphasized that Cambodia “did not retaliate at all during the two assaults” and continues to vigilantly monitor the situation with a commitment to “respecting all previous agreements and resolving conflicts peacefully according to international law.”

Additionally, Cambodia has informed the ASEAN Observer Team about these incidents and plans to request an investigation into the matter.