00:00New video posted on social media on 9 December claims to show Cambodia's forces unleashing a
00:15massive precision strike on a Thai Army border security post. A cluster of launch flashes erupts
00:23in the darkness, followed by streaks of fire arcing eye over the horizon toward Thai positions.
00:31The clip has quickly circulated online as the most dramatic visual yet of the escalating
00:38artillery duel along the frontier. As the rockets reach their target, the sky over the border lights
00:46up with a huge fireball consistent with heavy 300 millimeter warheads detonating on impact.
00:53Each projectile appears to tear across the border like a flaming spear before slamming into Thai
01:01positions, producing shock waves and secondary explosions. The footage suggests deliberate
01:08targeting of a specific outpost rather than random shelling. Analysts say the salvo matches the signature
01:16of China's PHL-03 multiple launch rocket system, a 12-tube truck-mounted launcher
01:24capable of firing large 300 millimeter rockets in quick succession. In the video, all tubes
01:32appear to ripple fire within seconds, hurling a wall of explosives across the frontier and underscoring
01:40how far Cambodia's artillery capabilities have evolved compared with past skirmishes. The impact
01:48area erupts in a series of huge blasts, sending plumes of smoke and debris high into the air. The
01:56scale of the explosions has raised fears that similar barrages could obliterate lightly protected
02:02positions or devastate nearby settlements if the fire falls short or overshoots.
02:09On the ground, reports from both sides say artillery shells and rockets continue to land near border
02:16villages as Thai and Cambodian units exchange fire. Residents describe hours-long barrages that make it
02:25impossible to stay in exposed homes with fragments hitting houses, fields and roads. Local authorities
02:33say thousands have now left their homes, moving to villages further from the border or staying with
02:40relatives to get out of the strike zone. Many are leaving with only essential belongings, unsure when
02:47they will be able to return or whether their homes will still be standing. Another widely shared video
02:54posted on 8 December shows Cambodians huddling inside open sewers and drainage culverts, trying to
03:03shield themselves from incoming rounds purportedly fired from the Thai side. The images capture children
03:10and elderly people crouching in ankle-deep water as blasts echo overhead, highlighting how desperate
03:18civilians have become in finding any possible shelter. Human interest accounts describe the poorest and most
03:26vulnerable communities being hit hardest. Families with no vehicles to evacuate quickly and farmers whose fields
03:34now lie between opposing guns. Reports from the ground accuse Thai air and artillery strikes of repeatedly pummeling areas near
03:43Cambodian villages, compounding the fear and displacement. With Cambodia rolling out long-range
03:51rocket systems and Thailand responding with its own artillery and air power, regional observers warn that each new
03:58salvo makes de-escalation harder. The more these high-impact systems are used near populated areas, the greater the risk that a single strike killing large numbers of
04:01civilians or soldiers could push both governments toward broader war.
04:17As the videos continue to surface, they provide a grim visual record of a conflict that is no longer confined to remote border posts, but is now burning its way into the lives of ordinary people in the world.
04:23On both sides of the line.
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