The ongoing conflict between Thailand and Cambodia took a grim turn on Sunday after a rocket attack killed a 63-year-old Thai villager, marking the first confirmed civilian death directly linked to the fighting. Thai authorities said the rocket was fired from Cambodian territory and struck a residential area in Kantharalak District of Sisaket province, close to a local school.

The clash is part of a broader escalation that began on December 7, when a border skirmish wounded two Thai soldiers. Since then, both countries have confirmed that large-scale fighting has continued, driven by long-standing disputes over contested border areas, some of which include ancient temple ruins claimed by both sides.

More than two dozen people have been officially reported killed on both sides over the past week, while over 500,000 civilians have been displaced as villages near the border are evacuated. Scenes from the rocket strike showed homes burning, debris scattered across roads, and villagers struggling to contain fires with limited resources.

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Thai officials strongly condemned the attack, accusing Cambodia of deliberately targeting civilian areas and calling the strike “cruel and inhumane.” Authorities said the victim, identified as Don Patchapan, was killed in the heart of a residential zone. Shrapnel from the same rocket was found embedded in nearby roads, underscoring the indiscriminate nature of the weapons used.

Cambodia has deployed truck-mounted BM-21 rocket launchers, capable of firing dozens of rockets over long distances but lacking precision. Thailand claims thousands of such rockets have been launched almost daily. In response, Thai forces have conducted airstrikes using fighter jets, while both sides have increasingly relied on drones for surveillance and bombing missions.

Efforts to halt the violence have faltered. A ceasefire previously promoted by the United States and brokered by regional mediators collapsed, despite renewed claims that fighting would stop. Thailand has denied agreeing to a new truce, while Cambodia insists it is acting in self-defense. With naval forces now also exchanging fire in the Gulf of Thailand, fears are growing that the conflict could widen further unless urgent diplomatic intervention succeeds.

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