Thais fleeing border areas take shelter in university amid armed conflict with Cambodia

SURIN, THAILAND - JULY 25, 2025: Residents from Thai border areas affected by ongoing clashes with Cambodia were evacuated on Friday, July 25, to a temporary shelter at Surindra Rajabhat University in Surin Province. Dozens of families arrived at the evacuation center carrying personal belongings, as the border conflict entered its second day. Thai officials have set up basic facilities to provide food and water. The evacuation follows heightened tensions, raising concerns over further escalation. According to Thailand’s Health Ministry, the death toll has climbed to 15, including one soldier, while Cambodia has confirmed the death of a monk and said five others were injured in airstrikes by Thai air forces on Thursday. Cambodia and Thailand have downgraded diplomatic ties to their lowest level in decades after tensions between the two countries began rising on May 28, when troops exchanged fire near the border, resulting in the death of a Cambodian soldier. The two Southeast Asian neighbors have a disputed border lying across Cambodia’s Preah Vihear province and the northeastern province of Ubon Ratchathani in Thailand. (Footage by Valeria Mongelli /Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)