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LAST UPDATE | 25 Jul 2025
IRISH TOURISTS HAVE been told not to travel to the border region between Thailand and Cambodia amid the ongoing conflict between both countries.
Thailand has declared martial law in eight of its districts bordering Cambodia. Earlier, the country’s acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai warned that the cross-border clashes with Cambodia “could develop into war”.
A long-running border dispute erupted yesterday into intense fighting with jets, artillery, tanks and ground troops. The UN Security Council is set to hold an emergency meeting on the crisis later today.
Dozens of kilometres of border in several areas are contested between the two countries. Fighting broke out between the nations from 2008 to 2011, leaving at least 28 people dead and tens of thousands displaced.
A UN court ruling in 2013 settled the matter for over a decade, but the current crisis erupted this year when a Cambodian soldier was killed in a clash.
At least 138,000 people have fled the region since the fighting began yesterday, according to the Thai government.
Both countries have become hotspots among Irish backpackers and holidaymakers in recent years, with tourists seeking to visit the dense cities, relax at their beach resorts or hike or camp in the jungles.
The Government has said that around 70,000 Irish tourists visiting Thailand each year. The Department of Foreign Affairs’ website currently warns those seeking to travel to both countries to take normal precautions when visiting the respective nations.
A spokesperson told The Journal that, as of yesterday, the Department of Foreign Affairs is advising against all travel to the border region between Thailand and Cambodia.
Those seeking to travel to the regions should “pay close attention” to official sources and remain vigilant at all times. The Thai embassy in Dublin said that tourists should follow the Irish Department’s advice.
Any Irish citizens who are seeking consular assistance has been asked to contact the Thai and Vietnamese embassies. There is no Irish embassy in Cambodia.
Thailand’s acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai said this morning that both countries have sought to “compromise as we are neighbours”, but that the government had instructed the Thai military to act immediately.
“If the situation escalates, it could develop into war – though for now, it remains limited to clashes,” he said.
Evacuated civilians, which includes nearly 450 Thai hospital patients, have moved to nearly 300 temporary shelters. Thailand’s health department has said 14 civilians and one soldier have died, and 46 people wounded, including 15 troops.
One Cambodian official said a civilian has been killed and five were wounded during the latest wave of strikes overnight. Distant artillery fire could be heard this morning in Samraong, Cambodia – 20 kilometres from the border.
- Contains reporting from AFP 2025
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