Thailand, Cambodia blame each other after border gunfire exchange

Phnom Penh [Cambodia]/Bangkok [Thailand], November 13 (ANI): Cambodia on Thursday expressed its "strong condemnation" of the unprovoked shooting by Thai military forces on Cambodian civilians, which it said resulted in "one civilian killed and three others injured, state media reported.

The border clash between the forces of the two neighbouring countries comes after Thailand suspended a US-backed peace treaty signed with Cambodia during the ASEAN Summit after four Thai soldiers were injured in a landmine explosion in the border province of Si Sa Ket on Monday.

Spokesperson of the Senate of Cambodia this morning in a statement said that on November 12 Thai forces launched a "brutal attack" on Cambodian civilians in Prey Chan village in the country's Banteay Meanchey province as reported by Cambodian news agency AKP.

This 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)," it said, adding that a formal protest was filed with Thailand.

Thailand's Foreign Minister Sihasak Puangketkaew yesterday confirmed to foreign envoys that Thailand has "paused," or "suspended," the recent Joint Declaration with Cambodia, Thai news agency reported.

Thai PM Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul who visited soldiers at a base near the Cambodian border where four soldiers were injured after a landmine incident was quoted by state media as saying that "incident violated past agreements" and declaring that the government will now do what we see fit, and that they are "no longer be bound by any conditions."

Charnvirakul added that the Thai Foreign Ministry is preparing a letter of clarification to the US' Donald Trump administration, which served as a witness to the peace pact signed in Kuala Lumpur.

Thailand army spokesman Maj Gen Winthai Suvaree said yesterday that Cambodian forces fired into the Thai territory at Baan Nong Ya Kaew of Sa Kaeo at around 4 pm and that Thai forces returned fire, Thai Public Broadcasting Service reported.

Thailand and Cambodia had in October signed a peace treaty in the presence of US President Donald Trump and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim during the Asean Summit.

The two countries have long been in dispute over their 817-kilometre border, with recent tensions flaring into a military confrontation on July 24 this year.

On July 28, Cambodia and Thailand had agreed to an unconditional ceasefire at a trilateral meeting hosted by Anwar following weeks of hostilities. (ANI)

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