Thailand Holds Hill 677, Border Shelling Forces 260,000 to Flee

The Thai flag may now fly atop Hill 677, yet the crackle of gunfire and the thud of artillery echo along the jungle-blanketed frontier. Bangkok’s generals insist they have “full control” of the vital ridgeline overlooking Chong An Ma, but Cambodian forces continue probing attacks, rockets arc overhead, and families on both sides of the border pack what is left of their lives into plastic bags.

Snapshot for readers short on time

• Hill 677 secured, not silent – Thai troops hold the summit but face daily shelling and drone sorties.

• Front widens to the east – Marines push back Cambodian batteries near Ban Tha Sen in Trat, backed by Air Force F-16s.

• 259,121 people displaced – makeshift shelters strain water, health and security services.

• Hospitals hit – 20 Thai facilities damaged; almost 200 tambon clinics shut or relocated.

• Diplomats on the phone, buses on standby – Foreign Ministry urges Thai nationals in Siem Reap to exit while roads remain open.

Fighting shifts but does not fade

Seizing Hill 677 gave the Royal Thai Army a clear line of sight across the undulating border in Ubon Ratchathani. Analysts say the height advantage lets Thai artillery spot and strike Cambodian gun positions that had pummeled farming hamlets for a week. Even so, Cambodian infantry repeatedly “tested the wire” on the slopes, and on one thrust a Thai special-forces soldier was killed by mortar fire. Army drones recorded at least four Khmer battalions regrouping in the tree line south of the knob, suggesting Phnom Penh is not ready to concede.

Why the ridge matters more than a map dot

Security scholar Zachary Abuza notes the feature’s 677-meter elevation gives Thailand a 360-degree surveillance umbrella reaching deep into Preah Vihear province. Holding it denies Cambodian crews the chance to emplace BM-21 rocket tubes that had ranged Chiang Samrong district. The hill also serves as a forward refuel point for Thai FPV-hunter teams—rifle squads trained to down the small kamikaze drones Cambodia introduced this week. Military engineers meanwhile race to weave a fiber-optic network across the crest to harden communications against jamming.

Eastern seaboard: the other front

While headlines fixate on the northeast, the Royal Thai Navy has waged Operation “Trat Prap Porapak” along the Gulf. Marines in shallow-draft assault craft slip through mangrove channels to knock out Cambodian howitzers that appeared opposite Ban Tha Sen. Air-force F-16s loiter overhead, releasing laser-guided bombs when spotters find ammunition dumps. A dusk-to-dawn curfew now blankets five Trat districts, and fishermen complain their nightly runs to squid grounds are banned until further notice.

Civilians on the move, services under strain

An estimated 259,121 villagers have fled shell-scarred settlements. Rows of khaki tents sprout behind temples, schools and even a half-finished shopping mall earmarked as a “temporary collective center”. Relief officials warn that:

• Clean water is the top gap; shallow wells turn brown after each bombardment.

• Only 12 provincial hospitals remain fully operational; mobile clinics rotate through camps for maternal care and dialysis.

• Roughly 46,000 vulnerable people—elderly, pregnant women, the disabled—need bespoke protection as crowding erodes privacy and heightens gender-based risks.

Diplomacy in slow gear, travel advice in high gear

The Foreign Ministry says its consul in Siem Reap has a bus convoy on stand-by to ferry Thai tourists and expatriate workers home the moment a cease-fire corridor opens. For now, travelers are urged to cross at Poipet or O’Smach checkpoints while they remain passable. Bangkok has also asked ASEAN’s secretariat to appoint an emergency envoy, yet senior officials quietly concede Phnom Penh is still “taking soundings” rather than negotiating in earnest.

What to watch next

Cambodian reinforcements – Satellite imagery spotted fresh armor arriving at Kulen Prum Thmei; Thai defense planners fear a large push before year’s end.

Drone duel – Both armies are importing loitering munitions. Expect electronic-warfare trucks and anti-drone shotguns to dot the treeline soon.

Humanitarian funding crunch – UNHCR’s stockpile of family tents in Surin drops below 20 %, and donors are distracted by crises elsewhere.

Political temperature in Bangkok – Parliament’s opposition bloc has scheduled an interpellation on war spending that could reshape the 2026 defense budget.

For residents in Thailand, the takeaway is stark: the border may feel distant, yet trade, tourism and health resources are already feeling the ripple. Keep an eye on provincial advisories, especially if work or relatives draw you near the frontier—this contest for one hill is reshaping the entire edge of the kingdom.