Tourists urged to avoid travel to Cambodia and Thailand amid escalating conflict

Britons have been urged to avoid all but essential travel to parts of Cambodia and Thailand following escalating conflict in the area.

The British foreign ministry has advised Brits to avoid the region, which is experiencing the worst fighting between the countries in 13 years.

Thailand scrambled an F-16 fighter jet to bomb targets in Cambodia on Thursday after artillery volleys from both sides killed at least 12 civilians, as border tension boiled over into rare armed conflict between the Southeast Asian countries.

Both blamed each other for starting a morning clash at a disputed area of the border, which quickly escalated from small arms fire to heavy shelling in at least six locations 209 kilometres (130 miles) apart along a frontier where sovereignty has been disputed for more than a century.

Thailand’s acting prime minister Phumtham Wechayachai has accused Cambodian forces of deliberately targeting civilian areas after 12 people were killed in border clashes.

The southeast Asian neighbours exchanged fire across several disputed zones along their land border, in the deadliest clashes since 2011.

Both nations have claimed the other fired first.

Thailand’s health minister said 11 civilians and a soldier were killed in fighting across Surin, Ubon Ratchathani and Sisaket provinces.

The number of Cambodian losses is unclear.

Thai authorities have evacuated approximately 40,000 civilians from 86 villages near the border. Cambodian authorities have not yet confirmed how many civilians have been evacuated.

The Thai army said it flew F-16 fighter planes to bomb two military targets in Cambodia.

“We have used air power against military targets as planned,” army deputy spokesperson Richa Suksuwanon said.

The Cambodian defence ministry said the Thai planes had dropped bombs on a road near the ancient Preah Vihear Temple, close to the border.