Phnom Penh [Cambodia]/Bangkok [Thailand], November 13 (ANI): Cambodia on Thursday expressed its “strong condemnation” of what it described as an unprovoked shooting by Thai military forces on Cambodian civilians, which it said resulted in one civilian death and three injuries, state media reported.
The border clash between the two neighboring countries comes after Thailand suspended a US-backed peace treaty signed with Cambodia during the ASEAN Summit, following a landmine explosion that injured four Thai soldiers in the border province of Si Sa Ket on Monday.
A spokesperson for the Senate of Cambodia said in a statement that on November 12, Thai forces launched a “brutal attack” on Cambodian civilians in Prey Chan village in Cambodia’s Banteay Meanchey province, according to Cambodian news agency AKP.
The statement said the incident “represents a serious violation of Cambodia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as a grave breach of international humanitarian law and the fundamental principles of the United Nations Charter, ASEAN Charter, and the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC).” Cambodia has filed a formal protest with Thailand.
Thailand’s Foreign Minister Sihasak Puangketkaew confirmed to foreign envoys that Thailand has “paused” or “suspended” the recent Joint Declaration with Cambodia, Thai news agencies reported.
Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, who visited soldiers at a base near the Cambodian border where four soldiers were injured in the landmine incident, was quoted by state media as saying that the “incident violated past agreements” and that the government “will now do what we see fit” and “will no longer be bound by any conditions.”
Charnvirakul added that the Thai Foreign Ministry is preparing a letter of clarification to the US administration of President Donald Trump, which served as a witness to the peace pact signed in Kuala Lumpur.
Thai Army spokesman Maj. Gen. Winthai Suvaree said that Cambodian forces fired into Thai territory at Baan Nong Ya Kaew in Sa Kaeo province around 4 p.m., prompting Thai forces to return fire, according to the Thai Public Broadcasting Service.
Thailand and Cambodia had signed a peace treaty in October in the presence of US President Donald Trump and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim during the ASEAN Summit.
The two countries have long disputed their 817-kilometer border, with tensions periodically escalating into military confrontations, including one on July 24 this year.
On July 28, Cambodia and Thailand agreed to an unconditional ceasefire at a trilateral meeting hosted by Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar following weeks of hostilities. (ANI)
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