At least 118 Filipinos, mostly teachers, have been evacuated to safety amid armed clashes near the Cambodia-Thailand border, Philippine Ambassador to Thailand Millicent Cruz-Paredes said.
As the Philippines issued a fresh advisory urging OFWs in affected areas to remain vigilant, Cruz-Paredes said all those evacuated are safe and accounted for, and no Filipino has been reported injured or in trouble.
Most of the Filipinos affected were teachers working in areas where fighting erupted, prompting the suspension of classes, the ambassador said.
Meanwhile, in an advisory on Saturday, the Philippine Embassy to Cambodia warned Filipinos residing in provinces near the Thailand border, including Oddar Meanchey, Banteay Meanchey, Preah Vihear, Pursat, Koh Kong, Battambang and Pailin, to closely monitor the security situation and strictly follow official advisories.
The embassy urged Filipinos in the area to respond to its survey to aid coordination, avoid border zones where military operations are reported, and stay away from areas with a visible military presence.
It also advised Filipinos to monitor updates from government sources and reliable news outlets.
Filipinos in border areas were asked to report their location and any emergencies through the embassy’s border emergency hotline, while non-border concerns should be directed to the embassy’s assistance-to-nationals hotline.
The embassy also shared Cambodian police and immigration hotlines for foreigners affected by the hostilities.
Thailand said Saturday it was continuing military strikes against Cambodia despite US President Donald Trump saying the countries had agreed to stop fighting after calls with him.
Renewed clashes between the Southeast Asian neighbors, which stem from a long-running dispute over the colonial-era demarcation of their 800-kilometre (500-mile) border, broke out this month and have displaced around half a million people on both sides.
Each side blamed the other for reigniting the conflict – which has killed at least 20 people this week – but there were signs that tensions might be easing when Trump said a truce had been agreed.
However, on Saturday, Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said the country would “continue to perform military actions until we feel no more harm and threats to our land and people.”
Bangkok’s joint press center confirmed that Thai forces had “retaliated” against Cambodian military targets at 5:50 am.
The statements came as Cambodia said Thai fighter jets had dropped several bombs on its territory.
A Thai navy spokesman said the air force “successfully destroyed” two Cambodian bridges used to transport weapons to the conflict zone.
Trump had hailed his “very good conversation” with Anutin and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet on Friday.
“They have agreed to CEASE all shooting effective this evening, and go back to the original Peace Accord” agreed in July, Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
After the call with Trump, Thailand’s Anutin said Cambodia “is going to comply with the ceasefire,” adding: “The one who violated the agreement needs to fix (the situation).”
Cambodia’s Hun Manet said his country “has always been adhering to peaceful means for dispute resolutions”.
Cambodian information minister Neth Pheaktra said Saturday Thai forces had “expanded their attacks to include civilian infrastructure and Cambodian civilians.”
Royal Thai Air Force spokesman Chakkrit Thammavichai said the army was “using high-precision weapons to prevent the damage on innocent civilians”.
The United States, China and Malaysia, as chair of the regional bloc ASEAN, brokered a ceasefire in July after an initial five-day spate of violence.
In October, Trump backed a follow-on joint declaration between Thailand and Cambodia, touting new trade deals after they agreed to prolong their truce.
But Thailand suspended the agreement the following month after Thai soldiers were wounded by landmines at the border.
Hun Manet added that he had suggested the US and Malaysia could use their information gathering capabilities “to verify which side opened fire first” on December 7.
“The last round of peace efforts didn’t work out… I don’t know if this one will either,” said Thai border evacuee Kanyapat Saopria, 39. “I just don’t trust Cambodia anymore.” With AFP
