Cambodia had previously withdrawn from eight events of the Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games) but still sent a delegation of 137 members. Some athletes participated in the opening ceremony just on Tuesday (December 9), only to be told to pack their bags and return home within 24 hours. (Photo by Bai Yanlin)

(Bangkok/Phnom Penh Composite News) As the border conflict between Thailand and Cambodia escalates, the Cambodian government has decided to withdraw from the 33rd Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games) hosted by Thailand and ordered all Cambodian athletes to return home.

In a letter to the SEA Games Council on Wednesday (December 10), Vath Chamroeun, Secretary-General of the National Olympic Committee of Cambodia, stated that due to serious concerns about the safety of Cambodian athletes and urgent requests from their families, the decision was made to bring the athletes back home as soon as possible.

The 33rd SEA Games are being held in Bangkok and Chonburi Province, Thailand. Cambodia had previously withdrawn from eight events but still dispatched 137 delegation members, originally planning to compete in 12 sports. Some athletes took part in the opening ceremony on Tuesday (December 9), but the entire team was instructed to return home within less than 24 hours.

This is believed to be the first time a country has withdrawn from the SEA Games midway. In earlier editions of the Southeast Asian Peninsular (SEAP) Games—the predecessor of the SEA Games—some countries withdrew or failed to fully participate due to political, economic, or security reasons.

For example, Cambodia abandoned its right to host the 1963 games due to political instability; in 1975, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam withdrew from the event amid revolutionary upheaval.

The new round of border conflict between Thailand and Cambodia broke out on Sunday (December 7) and has lasted for four days as of Wednesday. Both sides accuse each other of firing first and have continuously intensified their firepower.

According to the Bangkok Post, the conflict continues in multiple locations across five provinces near the border.

As the conflict expands, the Royal Thai Navy has deployed its forces to defend Thailand's sovereignty in Chanthaburi-Trat Province along the Thai-Cambodian border.

The Royal Thai Air Force has also launched operations, dispatching F-16 fighter jets to attack Cambodian military bases near the Ban Nong Chan border in Sa Kaeo Province.

Cambodia has continued its attacks. The Thai military accuses Cambodian forces of firing 5,000 rockets at multiple border areas and launching suicide drone strikes on Tuesday, followed by six more rockets fired at Phanom Dong Rak District Hospital and surrounding areas on Wednesday, prompting the emergency evacuation of patients and medical staff.

On Wednesday (December 10), a hospital in Thailand's border district of Phanom Dong Rak was attacked, leading to the emergency evacuation of patients and medical personnel.

Cambodia, in turn, claims that Thai forces carried out artillery shelling, armored advances, infantry assaults, and air strikes with fighter jets on Wednesday, seriously endangering the safety of Cambodian civilians. Among these actions, Thai F-16 fighter jets dropped two bombs on a village in Cambodia's Banteay Meanchey Province near the border.

The Cambodian Ministry of National Defense stated that the Cambodian Armed Forces have fully increased alert levels in the war zone, launched self-defense counterattacks on all battlefields to ensure the front line is not breached, and are "fully committed to defending national sovereignty and territorial integrity."

Thai PM Anutin Announces Plan to Recapture 11 Disputed Border Points

Meanwhile, Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has approved full-scale military operations and publicly announced plans to recapture 11 disputed points along the border. This indicates that there will be no negotiations or compromises until Cambodia unconditionally meets Thailand's demands.

In response, Hun Sen, former Cambodian Prime Minister and President of the Senate, vowed to use all defensive capabilities to respond. "The Thai Prime Minister has announced the use of force to occupy 11 locations, even though we still do not know exactly where these locations are... All our armed forces must counterattack at any point attacked."

The Thai-Cambodian border has long been plagued by territorial disputes. This is the most serious conflict since the five-day war between the two countries in July. Thailand's Second Army Area Command stated that the conflict has resulted in four Thai soldiers killed and 68 injured, while 61 Cambodian soldiers have died.

However, the Cambodian Ministry of National Defense refuted the number of Cambodian military deaths, criticizing the Thai military for distorting information as a form of "psychological warfare." It counterclaimed that Thai forces suffered heavy losses, with "hundreds of soldiers killed and more than 1,000 injured," but did not provide specific figures. According to official Cambodian data, the current round of conflict has caused the deaths of at least nine civilians and injured 46 others.

Thai media analysis points out that this conflict differs from previous border clashes, as the Thai government, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and armed forces are currently aligned in their stance.

As both countries stake their sovereignty, national dignity, and the long-term military strength of their armed forces, this conflict has transcended the scope of conventional small-scale border skirmishes, and neither side appears willing to back down.

Cambodia had previously withdrawn from eight events of the Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games) but still sent a delegation of 137 members. Some athletes participated in the opening ceremony just on Tuesday (December 9), only to be told to pack their bags and return home within 24 hours. (Photo by Bai Yanlin)

(Bangkok/Phnom Penh Composite News) As the border conflict between Thailand and Cambodia escalates, the Cambodian government has decided to withdraw from the 33rd Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games) hosted by Thailand and ordered all Cambodian athletes to return home.

In a letter to the SEA Games Council on Wednesday (December 10), Vath Chamroeun, Secretary-General of the National Olympic Committee of Cambodia, stated that due to serious concerns about the safety of Cambodian athletes and urgent requests from their families, the decision was made to bring the athletes back home as soon as possible.

The 33rd SEA Games are being held in Bangkok and Chonburi Province, Thailand. Cambodia had previously withdrawn from eight events but still dispatched 137 delegation members, originally planning to compete in 12 sports. Some athletes took part in the opening ceremony on Tuesday (December 9), but the entire team was instructed to return home within less than 24 hours.

This is believed to be the first time a country has withdrawn from the SEA Games midway. In earlier editions of the Southeast Asian Peninsular (SEAP) Games—the predecessor of the SEA Games—some countries withdrew or failed to fully participate due to political, economic, or security reasons.

For example, Cambodia abandoned its right to host the 1963 games due to political instability; in 1975, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam withdrew from the event amid revolutionary upheaval.

The new round of border conflict between Thailand and Cambodia broke out on Sunday (December 7) and has lasted for four days as of Wednesday. Both sides accuse each other of firing first and have continuously intensified their firepower.

According to the Bangkok Post, the conflict continues in multiple locations across five provinces near the border.

As the conflict expands, the Royal Thai Navy has deployed its forces to defend Thailand's sovereignty in Chanthaburi-Trat Province along the Thai-Cambodian border.

The Royal Thai Air Force has also launched operations, dispatching F-16 fighter jets to attack Cambodian military bases near the Ban Nong Chan border in Sa Kaeo Province.

Cambodia has continued its attacks. The Thai military accuses Cambodian forces of firing 5,000 rockets at multiple border areas and launching suicide drone strikes on Tuesday, followed by six more rockets fired at Phanom Dong Rak District Hospital and surrounding areas on Wednesday, prompting the emergency evacuation of patients and medical staff.

On Wednesday (December 10), a hospital in Thailand's border district of Phanom Dong Rak was attacked, leading to the emergency evacuation of patients and medical personnel.

Cambodia, in turn, claims that Thai forces carried out artillery shelling, armored advances, infantry assaults, and air strikes with fighter jets on Wednesday, seriously endangering the safety of Cambodian civilians. Among these actions, Thai F-16 fighter jets dropped two bombs on a village in Cambodia's Banteay Meanchey Province near the border.

The Cambodian Ministry of National Defense stated that the Cambodian Armed Forces have fully increased alert levels in the war zone, launched self-defense counterattacks on all battlefields to ensure the front line is not breached, and are "fully committed to defending national sovereignty and territorial integrity."

Thai PM Anutin Announces Plan to Recapture 11 Disputed Border Points

Meanwhile, Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has approved full-scale military operations and publicly announced plans to recapture 11 disputed points along the border. This indicates that there will be no negotiations or compromises until Cambodia unconditionally meets Thailand's demands.

In response, Hun Sen, former Cambodian Prime Minister and President of the Senate, vowed to use all defensive capabilities to respond. "The Thai Prime Minister has announced the use of force to occupy 11 locations, even though we still do not know exactly where these locations are... All our armed forces must counterattack at any point attacked."

The Thai-Cambodian border has long been plagued by territorial disputes. This is the most serious conflict since the five-day war between the two countries in July. Thailand's Second Army Area Command stated that the conflict has resulted in four Thai soldiers killed and 68 injured, while 61 Cambodian soldiers have died.

However, the Cambodian Ministry of National Defense refuted the number of Cambodian military deaths, criticizing the Thai military for distorting information as a form of "psychological warfare." It counterclaimed that Thai forces suffered heavy losses, with "hundreds of soldiers killed and more than 1,000 injured," but did not provide specific figures. According to official Cambodian data, the current round of conflict has caused the deaths of at least nine civilians and injured 46 others.

Thai media analysis points out that this conflict differs from previous border clashes, as the Thai government, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and armed forces are currently aligned in their stance.

As both countries stake their sovereignty, national dignity, and the long-term military strength of their armed forces, this conflict has transcended the scope of conventional small-scale border skirmishes, and neither side appears willing to back down.