Royal Thai Army soldiers are pictured on armoured vehicles on a road in Chachoengsao province. Photo: LILLIAN SUWANRUMPHA / AFP
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) has updated its travel advice, saying it's concerned by the exchanges of fire on the land border between Thailand and Cambodia.
New Zealand supports the efforts by ASEAN to de-escalate the dispute, and calls for restraint, diplomacy and dialogue, MFAT said in a statement.
At least 12 people, including civilians, are reported to have died since violence broke out on Thursday.
Both sides accuse the other of firing first.
Cambodia said it fired rockets, while Thailand launched an F-16 fighter jet that later dropped two bombs on a road leading to a Cambodian temple.
Thailand said a soldier had lost his leg in a landmine.
A Thai government spokesperson said it had expelled Cambodia's ambassador and withdrawn its own envoy from Phnom Penh.
MFAT's SafeTravel website now advised the land border between the two countries was closed and travellers should avoid the affected area.
In a statement, a MFAT spokesperson said, "travellers are advised to monitor the situation and to check the status of the border with local authorities."
"New Zealanders travelling in Thailand and Cambodia should register their details with SafeTravel," they said.
New Zealand had received consular inquiries since tensions between the two countries escalated on 28 May, but there were no current consular cases, the spokesperson said.
That skirmish left a Cambodian soldier dead.
Thai and Cambodian officials met in June to try and ease tensions over the long-running dispute across the 820-kilometre border area, which both sides have laid claim to for decades.
- RNZ/Reuters
