Thai govt tells the world Cambodia broke ceasefire agreement

Bangkok Post

5 days ago

The Thai government on Tuesday complained to the international community, accusing Cambodia of continued and indiscriminate attacks on Thai soil after their ceasefire agreement came in to effect at midnight.
The government said in a statement on Tuesday that Cambodian military forces broke the ceasefire agreed on at talks in Kuala Lumpur on Monday betwen the two prime ministers.
'The Thai Government sincerely upholds that agreement and strictly adheres to the jointly announced ceasefire agreement," the statement said.
'However, the Cambodian military forces have violated the agreement by launching continuous and indiscriminate attacks on Thai territory across various areas along the border even after the agreed ceasefire time had passed.'
The ceasefire agreement was to take effect at midnight.
The government said it informed the international community of Cambodia's violation of the ceasefire agreement, and the message went especially to China, Malaysia as the chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, and the United States 'who bore witness to yesterday's dialogue and negotiation – to inform them of Cambodia's lack of sincerity".
The government said it ordered the armed forces to maintain their positions to protect the sovereignty of Thailand and the safety of Thai people.
However, the government said it remained 'ready to proceed with dialogue at the regional command level between both sides as previously agreed in order to end the violence and prevent further losses to both civilians and military personnel".
The government made the announcement after the army protested that Cambodia had violated the ceasefire agreement on Tuesday.
Thai government spokesman Jirayu Houngsub said the cabinet on Tuesday ordered the military to maintain its forces along the border and do its best to defend Thai sovereignty and territory.
The Royal Thai Armed Forces Headquarters rejected the statement by Cambodian defence spokeswoman Lt Gen Maly Socheata that both countries had fully complied with the ceasefire from midnight.
Thailand had clear evidence showing that Cambodia fired their weapons in many areas on Thai soil after the ceasefire deadline, it said.
'Lieutenant General Maly Socheata is not only misleading the Cambodian public but also deceiving herself -- trapped in the very illusion she has fabricated. Her actions go beyond misinformation; they represent a deliberate attempt to construct a false reality to obscure her side's misconduct and evade accountability," the Royal Thai Armed Forces Heaquarters statement said.
'The Royal Thai Armed Forces call on Lieutenant General Maly Socheata to end this campaign of deception, which undermines trust and damages the fundamental principles of international cooperation. The international community must not allow such 'verbal illusions' to obscure the truth.'
RAdm Surasant Kongsiri, spokesman of the Ad Hoc Centre on the Thailand-Cambodia Border Situation, said Thai troops occupied 11 areas along the border with Cambodia - Chong An Ma, Chong Bok, Chong Chom, Chong Sai Taku, Don Tuan, Phra Wiharn, Phran Yao, Phu Makhuea, Satta Som, Ta Kwai and Ta Muen Thom.
He also said that the border clashes had killed 15 Thai civilians and injured 38 others, and more than 188,000 Thai civilian evacuees remain in shelters in safe areas.