'We Are Neighbours': Fleeing Thais And Cambodians Call For Peace

Evacuees displaced by the ongoing conflict between Thailand and Cambodia rest at a makeshift evacuation center inside a Buddhist temple in Thailand's Si Sa Ket province (Credit: AFP)

As Cambodia and Thailand traded deadly strikes, fleeing civilians on both sides described their cross-border neighbours as "siblings" and "friends" -- swapping calls for peace against the backdrop of artillery barrages.

The death toll from three days of fighting has risen to 33, the majority civilians, after a long-running border dispute sharply escalated into combat waged with jets, artillery, tanks and ground troops.