Dec. 26 (UPI) — The Thai military advanced on Cambodia’s Banteay Meanchey Province on Friday morning after carrying out air strikes as the two nations continue negotiating a possible cease-fire.
Thai tanks, armored vehicles and infantry advanced into Chouk Chey Village in the O’Chrov District of Banteay Meanchey Province, which is located in northwestern Cambodia and along its border with Thailand, the Khmer Times reported.
Thai F-16 fighter jets dropped about 40 bombs onto the area from 6:08 a.m. local time to 7:15 before the Thai military’s ground forces advanced into it.
The air strikes were done “in the most ruthless and inhumane manner” as they destroyed public infrastructure, civilians’ homes and private property, Cambodian Defense Ministry spokeswoman Lt. Gen. Maly Socheata said.
“The brutal actions above are indiscriminate attacks by the Thai military,” Socheata said.
She called the attacks a “serious violation of international humanitarian law” and said the Cambodian military continues to perform its duties to defend the nation’s territories.
“We will protect our dignity with courage and unwavering resolve, at any cost, and without succumbing to coercion or intimidation in any form,” Socheata said.
Thai Air Force officials denied attacking civilians and their homes, and told the BBC that they struck a “fortified military position” after civilians evacuated the area.
Friday’s military actions were intended to give Thailand control of the village of Nong Chan.
Meanwhile, respective Cambodian and Thai negotiators continue discussing a potential cease-fire while meeting at a border checkpoint for a third day and are scheduled to meet again on Saturday.
Fighting between the two nations resumed earlier in December despite agreeing to a cease-fire in July amid border disputes dating back to the early 20th century.
At least 41 have died and about a million more are displaced since the fighting resumed this month along the 500-mile border separating the two nations.
The hostilities started in May when a Cambodian soldier was killed during a clash between the opposing forces and escalated when the Cambodian military fired rockets into Thailand on July 24.
Chinese and U.S. officials each have tried to mediate a lasting peace in the matter.
In 2023, John was ranked 345th on the Forbes 400. Two years later, in 2025, the 51-year-old philanthropist was ranked at 1,265 on their list of all the country’s billionaires, which put him well outside of the top 400 wealthiest individuals.
The change has been a long time coming as the Arnolds have been dedicated to donating their massive fortune for more than a decade, having donated $2 billion to date, according to the outlet, which lists them among the top 25 most generous givers in the United States. Their fortune is currently estimated to be around $2.9 billion.
Currently, the Arnolds have given away an estimated 42% of their personal fortune — and they’re showing no signs of slowing down their philanthropic efforts.
John previously worked at Enron, earning $750 million for the company in 2001, the year it went bankrupt, according to Forbes.
The following year, he founded his own hedge fund, Centaurus Advisors, according to Bloomberg — but 10 years later, he announced that he would no longer manage other people’s money, per Forbes.
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Philanthropists Laura and John Arnold, who fell off the Forbes’ 400 list in 2025
Meanwhile, Laura previously worked as a mergers and acquisitions attorney at Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen and Katz in New York City, according to a news release shared by Rice University after she was elected as a trustee in April 2010.
She also served as executive vice president and general counsel of Cobalt International Energy in Houston until her departure in 2006.
In 2008, John and Laura launched the Laura and John Arnold Foundation, which has since evolved into Arnold Ventures. The organization currently focuses on reforming criminal justice, higher education, health, infrastructure and public finance, according to its website.
“They believe philanthropy should be transformational and should seek through innovation to solve persistent problems in society,” reads a message on the organization’s website.
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John Arnold, Co-Founder and Co-Chair, Arnold Ventures, speaks on stage during The Texas Tribune Festival at Omni Hotel on September 06, 2024 in Austin, Texas.
In a letter announcing their commitment to giving away the majority of their fortune to charitable causes, the couple wrote that they both “view our wealth…not as an end in itself, but as an instrument to effect positive and transformative change.”
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In July 2019, John and Laura joined the board of the REFORM Alliance, according to Business Insider. The non-profit organization, founded by rappers Meek Mill and Jay-Z, “aims to transform probation and parole by changing laws, systems, and culture to create real pathways to work and wellbeing,” according to its website.
At the time, Laura told the outlet that philanthropy “has always been a core value” in her family, which focuses on giving back to “very difficult, intractable issues that impact a large number of people.”
“It is important to us to leave behind a better country than we were born into,” Laura added. “Having achieved financial success early in our lives, we had the enormous privilege of making this mission our full-time job.”
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Laura Arnold at the Houston Chronicle 35th annual Best Dressed Luncheon and Neiman Marcus Fashion Presentation in March 2017 in downtown Houston.
Speaking with Texas Monthly in December 2018, John said he and Laura are “willing to take risks” with their philanthropy in hopes they will have a “high impact” as his wife noted at another point in the article that “every dollar that goes out the door is a strategic investment.”
“We understand that governments are by nature risk-averse, so we’re trying to create an infrastructure and a set of ideas that can redirect funds to be more effectively and efficiently spent,” Laura explained. “The things that we’ve done, the things that we’ve got on deck, could really be game changers.”
Representatives for Laura and John declined to provide comment for this story when contacted by PEOPLE.
Thailand carried out air strikes on a disputed border area with Cambodia on Friday, as officials from both sides continued talks to try to end fighting.
The Thai Air Force said it had hit a Cambodian “fortified military position” after civilians had left the area. Cambodia’s defence ministry accused Thailand of “indiscriminate attacks” against civilian houses and injuring several people.
Fighting broke out again earlier this month after a fragile ceasefire in July halted five days of intense border clashes.
At least 41 people have been killed and almost one million displaced since the hostilities resumed.
Both countries have blamed each other for the breakdown of the truce.
Since then, fighting has spread to nearly every province along the 500-mile (800km) border.
Cambodia’s defence ministry said Friday’s attacks were in the north-western Banteay Meanchey province. Up to 40 bombs were dropped by F-16 fighter jets, the ministry said in a Facebook post.
Thailand said the action was aimed at controlling Nong Chan village, and was “carried out efficiently and successfully”.
It came as Thai and Cambodian negotiators held their third day of talks at a border checkpoint. Defence ministers from both sides are due to join the discussions on Saturday.
Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said on Friday that once both sides agreed to each other’s conditions, a ceasefire agreement could be signed.
“I hope this time will be the last one we’d have to sign, so that peace can occur in the area,” he said, “[and] people can return to their homes.”
The US and China have also been attempting to mediate a new ceasefire.
The dispute between Thailand and Cambodia dates back more than a century, and there have been sporadic clashes, with soldiers and civilians killed on both sides over the years.
But in May, tensions ramped up after a Cambodian soldier was killed in a clash. And on 24 July, the situation dramatically escalated after a Cambodian rocket barrage into Thailand, which was followed by Thai air strikes. That set off five days of intense fighting, which left dozens of soldiers and civilians dead.
