From hospital beds, Cambodian soldiers describe ‘toxic gas’

OU CHROV, Cambodia - Cambodian soldier Kun Yong said he had been forced to pull back from his front-line position recently after he had trouble breathing following a sortie by a Thai aircraft.

“It's like I was suffocating,” he told Reuters as he lay in a hospital bed, ‍with ​his wife by his side.

Since early December, Thailand and Cambodia

have been locked in a border ‍conflict

that has killed more than 40 people and displaced over half a million in both countries, marking the fiercest fighting between the two South-east Asian nations in ​decades.

From their hospital ​beds in Banteay Meanchey province in north-west Cambodia, several soldiers and police described experiencing respiratory problems after Thai aircraft dropped what they said was “poisonous water”.

Cambodia's Ministry of Defence has claimed on almost a daily basis that the Thai military is using “toxic gas”, including as recently as Dec 17 ‍in the village where Mr Kun Yong had been stationed. In a statement, the ministry called the use of gas, among other tactics, a clear violation ​of international law.

It has not named the suspected gas, provided ⁠evidence, or said whether it has formally protested its use to the international authorities. Spokespeople for the ministry and the national government did not answer phone calls seeking fresh comment.

Reuters could not independently verify the claims.

Thai Air Force spokesman Jackkrit Thammavichai told Reuters that the air force had never used chemical weapons, and called reports of their use “fake news” aimed at discrediting its operations.

“If it were chemical weapons, they wouldn't be experiencing difficulties breathing, they would have died,” he said.

'Poisonous smoke'

During

fighting in July

, Cambodia accused Thailand ‌of using white phosphorus munitions, which burn brightly and produce clouds ​of billowing smoke, describing it as chemical warfare.

Thailand acknowledged holding such munitions, but said at the time it was not designated as a chemical weapon under international conventions and was used for illumination, as a smoke screen, and for other approved uses.

According to the World Health Organization, exposure to white phosphorus fumes is harmful to the eyes and respiratory tract.

Cambodia has not specified whether it blames white phosphorous for the latest injuries.

Dr Bong Bunnarith, who works at a hospital in Banteay Meanchey province, said he received around 20 soldiers last week with symptoms of dizziness, vomiting and difficulty breathing, but he could not determine exactly ‍what had caused those symptoms without further testing.

“We provided whatever is available for them here before transferring to other hospitals,” he said.

At another ​hospital – in Sisophon district in Banteay Meanchey – doctor Nak Vanny said he had treated 20 soldiers on Saturday with similar symptoms.

When Reuters visited on Dec 14, several soldiers lay on ​beds, some using oxygen masks.

“They fired the poisonous smoke at our bases from the air to poison ‌us,” said soldier Khat Phally, 66.

Policeman Khieu Sophan, 55, said: “A moment after the firing, I felt like I was suffocating, and my body was suddenly weakening.” REUTERS