Thailand's national parks director general has ordered for four wildlife sanctuaries and two national parks to be opened for soldiers to use as bases for planning and responding to Cambodia, according to local media.

Atthaphon Charoenchansa said that national parks and wildlife officers had been instructed to leave the areas for safety reasons so military officers could use them bases to plan a response.

Phu Chong Na Yoi National Park, Yod Dome Wildlife Sanctuary and Khao Phra Wihan National Park are among those being used.

In some areas, park officers will be staying in the closed-off areas, as their day-to-day experience patrolling the parks and sanctuaries could be used to assist military officers, Atthaphon said.

At least 12 Thai nationals, most of whom are civilians, have been killed in clashes with Cambodian troops in a disputed border area between the two countries.

The map below shows where the clashes have been happening, according to information released by the Thai government.

The situation on the Cambodian side of the border remains unclear, as the government there has not released any information about potential impacts of the clashes.

Smoke was seen pouring from a petrol station in Thailand's Sisaket province, near the Cambodian border, following clashes between the two countries.

At least 12 people have been killed and at least 14 wounded, according to Thai authorities.

Thailand's education ministry has ordered the temporary closure of schools in border areas following clashes with Cambodia.

Bangkok-based news outlet the Thai Enquirer reports that 582 schools were closed in Surin, Sisaket and Buriram after rockets were fired at residential areas

Some schools outside the danger zones are also reportedly being used as temporary shelters.

Minister of Education Prof Narumon Pinyosinwat said: "I have urged schools in the border areas to prepare a systematic response plan, especially preparing bunkers or safe areas for students, including ordering the establishment of temporary shelters in safe areas."

Image source, Reuters

Malaysia's prime minister says he will speak to the leaders of both Cambodia and Thailand before the end of the day.

"The least we can expect from them is to just stand down and hopefully to try and enter into negotiations," Anwar Ibrahim told reporters.

Malaysia is the current chair of Asean, the Southeast Asian bloc of which both Thailand and Cambodia are members.

Image source, Getty Images

With scarce information available regarding the situation on the ground, the majority of updates regarding the Thai-Cambodia border clashes are coming from both governments. Here's what each side is saying:

Thailand:

• Just after 07:30 local time (00:30GMT) on Thursday, Cambodia's military deployed drones to conduct surveillance of Thai troops near the border, according to a spokesman for Thailand's National Security Council (NSC)
• Shortly afterwards, Cambodian military personnel carrying RPGs gathered near the border. Soldiers on the Thai side attempted negotiations by shouting, but were unsuccessful, the NSC spokesman said, adding that Cambodian soldiers opened fire at around 08:20, forcing the Thai side to retaliate
• Thailand has accused Cambodia of deploying heavy weapons, including BM-21 rocket launchers and artillery, causing damage to homes and public facilities along the Thai side of the border.

Cambodia:

• Thai soldiers initiated this morning's conflict at around 06:30, when they violated a prior agreement by advancing on a Khmer-Hindu temple near the border and placing barbed wire around its base
• Thai soldiers then deployed a drone just after 07:00, and fired shots “into the air” at around 08:30, according to a spokesperson from Cambodia's Ministry of National Defence
• At 08:46, Thai soldiers "pre-emptively" opened fire on Cambodian troops, according to Ministry spokesperson Maly Socheata, leaving them no choice but to exercise their right to self-defence, according to the Phnom Penh Post newspaper
• Socheata further accused Thailand of deploying excessive troops, using heavy weapons and carrying out air strikes on Cambodian territory

Here's what we know about the deaths in Thailand and where they occurred, as reported by Thai authorities:

• Two civilian deaths in Surin province, including an eight-year-old boy
• One civilian death in Ubon Ratchathani province
• Eight civilian deaths in Srisaket province, including a 15-year-old boy and one military personnel

One military personnel and 11 civilians have been killed in the clashes, Thailand's health minister has said.

They are among 35 people that were affected by the attack, he said.

China is "deeply concerned" over the escalation of Thai-Cambodian border tensions, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson has told reporters at its daily press briefing.

China "hopes both sides can resolve their issues properly through dialogue and consultation," Guo Jiakun said, adding that Beijing would uphold a "just and impartial position".

"We have been, and will continue to, promote peace and encourage dialogue in our own way, playing a constructive role in helping de-escalate the situation," he said.

Earlier this month, Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi urged the two countries to revolve the border dispute through dialogue.

He also said that China was willing to "play a constructive role for the harmonious coexistence between Thailand and Cambodia".

Thailand's foreign ministry has urged Cambodia to cease actions that it says constitute severe violations of international law.

It further said that Thailand is prepared to intensify self-defence measures if Cambodia persists in its armed attacks.

Cambodia has accused Thailand of using excessive force along the Cambodian side of the border.

In a Facebook post on Thursday morning, Cambodian prime minister Hun Manet urged citizens to remain calm amid the escalating tensions with Thailand.

“Cambodia has always stood by its principle of resolving disputes through peaceful means. But in this situation, we have no choice but to respond with military force against the armed aggression,” the post added.

His father, the strongman ex-leader Hun Sen, also posted the following on his own Facebook account: “Please continue your daily activities as normal in all sectors and areas, except in the border regions where fighting is taking place."

Image source, Getty Images

Tensions have escalated rapidly since soldiers from Thailand and Cambodia clashed at a disputed portion of their border this morning. Here is a quick catch-up:

• At least nine civilians have been confirmed killed in Thailand as a result of the clashes, and at least 14 have been wounded, including a five-year-old child. Cambodia has not released any information on casualties or injuries
• The violence marks the latest escalation in a dispute that dates back more than a century, when the two South East Asian nations drew their border after France's occupation of Cambodia ended
• While there have been sporadic clashes over the years, the latest tensions ramped up in May after a Cambodian soldier was killed in a clash
• Both sides have accused the other of firing the first shot on Thursday morning
• Cambodia has been accused of firing rockets into a Thai village and attacking a hospital, while Thailand has carried out air strikes on Cambodian military targets
• Cambodia has downgraded its ties with Thailand and called on the UN Security Council to convene, accusing its rival of using excessive force
• Thailand has closed its border with Cambodia after telling all its nationals there to leave

The civilian deaths in Thailand have occurred in at least three different provinces along the Thai-Cambodia border, according to the Royal Thai Army:

• 6 in Sisaket province
• 2 in Surin province
• 1 in Ubon Ratchathani province

Thailand's death toll has risen to nine, according to the Royal Thai Army.

The number of wounded stands at 14.

Cambodia is requesting that the United Nations Security Council convene an "urgent meeting" to stop the clashes.

"Considering the recent extremely grave aggressions by Thailand, which have gravely threatened peace and stability in the region, I earnestly request you to convene an urgent meeting of the Security Council to stop Thailand's aggression," Prime Minister Hun Manet wrote to Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, the council's president, in a letter dated Thursday.

In a statement released a short while ago, Cambodia's foreign ministry says it "condemns in the strongest possible terms this reckless and hostile act by Thailand".

Cambodia said that Thai troops "launched unprovoked, premeditated and deliberate attacks on Cambodian positions along the border areas" on Thursday morning.

"Such unprovoked military aggression not only endangers peace and stability along our shared border, but also demonstrates utter disregard for regional norms and international legal obligations," the statement said, urging Thailand to cease hostilities and refrain from further provocation.

British citizens should "take extra care" and "follow the instructions of local authorities" when travelling in border areas between Thailand and Cambodia, the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office has warned.

Meanwhile China has urged its citizens in Cambodia to avoid the Thai border.

Thailand has sealed the land border with Cambodia amid the escalating tensions.

Where will the conflict go from here?published at 07:28 British Summer Time 24 July

07:28 BST 24 July

Jonathan Head
BBC South East Asia Correspondent

We’ve seen these kinds of clashes between Cambodia and Thailand in the recent past where people have been killed.

There have been serious exchanges of fire, and they were all de-escalated relatively quickly.

Nobody really thinks this is going to blow up into a full scale war but at the moment there’s a lack of leadership in both countries with the strength and confidence to pull back from this confrontation.

In Cambodia you’ve got an economy that is really struggling. You have a Prime Minister who is the son of a former strongman and does not yet really have his own authority and you have in Hun Sen, his father, a man who appears willing to push this conflict further in order to burnish his own nationalist credentials.

On the Thai side you have a shaky coalition government, with Thaksin Shinawatra, another strong man, the power behind it. He believed he had a warm close personal relationship with Hun Sen and his family, and feels betrayed by Hun Sen’s decision to leak a private conversation which led to his daughter, prime minister Paetongtarn, being suspended from her post by the constitutional court. So there’s a lot of anger on the Thai side.

We will have to see whether other members of Asean weigh in on this conflict and persuade both countries to de-escalate. That has always been Asean's purpose - to avoid conflict among its members - and it will be a priority for some of the Asean states at the moment to help these two countries resolve the conflict.

Image source, Getty Images

The dispute between Thailand and Cambodia dates back more than a century, when the borders of the two nations were drawn after the French occupation of Cambodia.

Things officially became hostile in 2008, when Cambodia tried to register an 11th Century temple located in the disputed area as a Unesco World Heritage Site - a move that was met with heated protest from Thailand.

Over the years there have been sporadic clashes that have seen soldiers and civilians killed on both sides.

The latest tensions ramped up in May after a Cambodian soldier was killed in a clash. This plunged bilateral ties to their lowest point in more than a decade.

In the past two months, both countries have imposed border restrictions on one another. Cambodia banned imports from Thailand such as fruits and vegetables, and stopped importing power and internet services.

Both countries have also strengthened troop presence along the border in recent weeks.

Panisa Aemocha
BBC Thai

Image source, Sutian Phiwchan

Sutian Phiwchan, a local resident of Ban Dan district in Thailand’s Buriram province near the Cambodian border, told the BBC that people in the area have begun evacuating, including his own family, whom he is now taking to a nearby shelter.

"It's really serious. We’re in the middle of evacuating."

He described the situation as intense and frightening, saying, "they’re firing directly over there. Right there [into the Thai border where people live]. I mean, the kids and everyone… we’re all really scared."

When asked whether this clash was worse than previous ones, he replied, "is it worse this time? Yes, because they’re not just using rifles, there’s heavy artillery too."