Thailand’s army said it exchanged fire with Cambodian forces along their border yesterday, accusing its neighbour of violating a December truce.
Cambodian forces “fired a single 40 mm grenade round” near a Thai patrol in the border province of Sisaket in the morning, prompting return fire, according to a Thai army statement. No Thai personnel were injured, the army said.
“Following the incident, Thai forces responded by firing an M79 (grenade launcher) in the direction from which the shot originated, in accordance with the rules of engagement, as a warning and for self-defence,” it added.
Army spokesman Winthai Suvaree said in the statement that “Cambodia’s actions violated the ceasefire agreement”, which ended three weeks of deadly border clashes in late December.
“Preliminary assessment suggests the incident may have resulted from a rotation of Cambodian troops, with new personnel lacking familiarity with regulations and command control, leading to operational shortcomings,” the statement said.
Cambodia rejected allegations that its military fired on Thai troops patrolling their border, Phnom Penh’s information minister told AFP yesterday.
“These claims are entirely false, fabricated and grossly distort the facts with the deliberate intent to mislead public opinion and provoke tension along the Cambodia–Thailand border,” Neth Pheaktra said.
The Thai army, citing a preliminary assessment, said the “incident may have resulted from a rotation of Cambodian troops, with new personnel lacking familiarity with regulations and command control”.
The countries’ century-old border conflict stems from a dispute over the French colonial-era demarcation of their 800-kilometre (500-mile) frontier.
Under the December truce, Cambodia and Thailand pledged to cease fire, freeze troop movements and cooperate on demining efforts along their border.
But last month, Thailand accused Cambodia of violating the truce, saying cross-border mortar fire wounded a soldier, while Phnom Penh said a “pile of garbage” exploded, injuring two of its own troops.
Since the latest round of heavy fighting, Cambodia has said Thai forces captured several areas in border provinces -- contrary to their agreements -- and has demanded their withdrawal.
Bangkok has insisted it merely reclaimed land that was part of Thailand and had been occupied by Cambodians for years.
While the two nations agreed in December to stop fighting, they still need to resolve their century-old conflict, stemming from a dispute over the French colonial-era demarcation of their 800-kilometre (500-mile) frontier.
