Cambodia Withdraws From SEA Games In Thailand, Organisers Confirm

Cambodia withdrew from the Southeast Asian Games on Wednesday because of an escalating border conflict with hosts Thailand, leading to a mass exodus of civilians from both sides of the disputed area, as per a Games official.

Officials reported that at least 11 soldiers and civilians have been killed on both sides as renewed hostilities disrupted a US-brokered truce.

Cambodia had previously withdrawn from eight sports at the Thailand-hosted games, with its National Olympic Committee chief Vath Chamroeun citing “safety” concerns.

However, Akarin Hiranprueck, a senior SEA Games official, confirmed on Wednesday that Cambodia would no longer participate at all: “It is confirmed that Cambodia withdrew,” he told AFP.

The SEA Games are scheduled to run

until December 20 in Bangkok and the nearby coastal province of Chonburi, featuring thousands of athletes from Southeast Asian countries competing in various events, including football, fencing, skateboarding, sailing, and combat sports.

This week, renewed combat between Thailand and Cambodia over a long-standing border dispute has overshadowed the SEA Games.

Security was tightened at Tuesday’s opening ceremony at the Rajamangala National Stadium in Bangkok, which was attended by Thai royals and featured Thai K-pop idol BamBam. A small delegation from Cambodia participated in the athletes’ parade.

This week’s clashes are the deadliest since five days of fighting in July that resulted in dozens of deaths before a shaky truce was agreed, largely thanks to the intervention of US President Donald Trump.

Both sides blame each other for sparking the renewed clashes, which on Tuesday spread to five provinces in both Thailand and Cambodia, according to an AFP tally of official accounts.

More than 500,000 people have fled their homes to safety in Thailand and Cambodia since the start of the reignited border conflict, both governments reported on Wednesday, surpassing the total number evacuated during similar clashes earlier this year.

The dispute between Thailand and Cambodia centres on a century-old disagreement over borders mapped during France’s colonial rule in the region, with both sides claiming multiple boundary temples.

(With AFP Inputs)