The Cambodian state secretariat of civil aviation said all airlines had been informed to avoid flying over the conflict zones, Xinhua reported.

“All flights have been instructed to avoid flying over these airspaces, and the planes must not fly lower than 1,200m above sea level,” secretariat chief Sinn Chanserey Vutha said in an audio message released to the media.

He said the measures were to ensure the safety of the planes and passengers.

Vutha said as of 10am local time (9am in Malaysia) today, international flights from Phnom Penh to Bangkok, and Siem Reap to Bangkok were operating as usual, as airlines have altered their routes to avoid prohibited airspaces.

Armed clashes between Cambodian and Thai soldiers in border areas broke out on Thursday in the Cambodian provinces of Oddar Meanchey and Preah Vihear.

At a press briefing today, the Cambodian defence ministry’s undersecretary of state and spokesman, Lt-Gen Maly Socheata, said the conflict has spread to Pursat province.