Husband left in Thailand when border closed

TT

Updated 09.39 | Published 08.00

          

          

         A volunteer security guard tries to put out a fire in a house in Sisaket province in Thailand on                   Sunday. Both Thailand and Cambodia accuse each other of new attacks.

         1 / 2Photo: Sakchai Lalit/AP/TT

The fighting on the border between Thailand and Cambodia continued on Sunday. Both sides accuse each other of new attacks.

Several border provinces have been shelled and bombed overnight, claims the Thai Defense Ministry. Cambodia's counterpart, for its part, states that Thailand has been attacking border areas with grenade fire and bombs since midnight.

Migrant workers have been stranded since Cambodia closed all border crossings with Thailand on Saturday. Cambodian Cheav Sokun and her son left Thailand along with tens of thousands of others during the deadly clashes in July, but her husband stayed behind.

“He asked me to return first. After that, the border was closed, so he can’t come back. I’m worried about him,” she told AFP.

At least 26 people have been killed this week, including 14 Thai soldiers, one Thai civilian and 11 Cambodian civilians.

The conflict between Thailand and Cambodia stems from a long-standing dispute over a colonial border. The latest unrest has been ongoing on and off since May, when fighting broke out after deadly gunfire on the border.