Cambodia, Thailand trade accusations of fresh border clashes
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Thai police and army personnel examining fragments of a landmine in Sisasket province along the Cambodia-Thailand border.
PHOTO: AFP
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BANGKOK - Thailand has demanded an apology from Cambodia after accusing it of laying fresh landmines that have injured Thai soldiers, a foreign ministry official said on Nov 12, a day after Bangkok suspended a ceasefire pact
Cambodia denies the charge that it has laid new mines, including one that exploded on Nov 10 and maimed one Thai soldier during a patrol along the disputed border between the two countries, reigniting tensions after a five-day conflict in July.
The fighting ended after telephone calls to Thai and Cambodian leaders by Mr Trump, who also presided over the signing of an enhanced truce agreement
At least 48 people were killed and an estimated 300,000 temporarily displaced during the clashes, which saw the exchange of rocket fire, heavy artillery and airstrikes.
“We want the Cambodian side to issue an apology,” Thai Foreign Ministry spokesman Nikorndej Balankura told reporters.
“We asked them to find the facts on what happened and who is accountable, and with it, asked them to put in place measures to prevent the future recurrence of the situation.”
Cambodian information minister Neth Pheaktra told AFP “Thai soldiers opened fire on civilians”, wounding at least five in Prey Chan village of Banteay Meanchey Province, citing a toll from local authorities.
His ministry shared images and video which it alleged showed wounded civilians, including one man being treated in an ambulance with a bloodied leg.
A Royal Thai Army spokesperson told reporters that soldiers heard small arms fire from the Cambodian side at around 4pm but “did not return fire”.
Landmine blasts along disputed frontier areas were among the catalysts behind the border clashes, with at least seven Thai soldiers severely injured in as many mine-related incidents since July 16.
Some of these mines were likely newly laid, Reuters has reported, based on expert analysis of material shared by Thailand’s military.
For more than a century, the South-east Asian neighbours have contested sovereignty over undemarcated points along their 817km land border, first mapped in 1907 by France when it ruled Cambodia as a colony. REUTERS
