Latest news with #Maly Socheata
LBCI
3 days ago
- Politics
- LBCI
Cambodian death toll in Thai clashes rises to 13: Defence Ministry
The death toll in Cambodia from clashes with Thailand has risen to 13, Phnom Penh's defense ministry said Saturday, with more than 35,000 people forced to flee their homes. Spokeswoman Maly Socheata said the casualties included five soldiers and eight civilians. Fierce fighting erupted between the two neighbours on Thursday over a long-running border dispute. AFP
CBC
3 days ago
- Politics
- CBC
Fighting on Thai-Cambodia border enters 3rd day as Malaysia urges ceasefire
Social Sharing Fighting on the Thai-Cambodian border extended into a third day and new flashpoints emerged on Saturday as both sides said they had acted in self-defence in the border dispute and called on the other to cease fighting and start negotiations. More than 30 people have been killed and more than 130,000 people displaced in the worst fighting between the Southeast Asian neighbours in 13 years. There were clashes early Saturday, both sides said, in the neighbouring Thai coastal province of Trat and Cambodia's Pursat province early, a new front more than 100 kilometres from other conflict points along the long-contested border. The two countries have faced off since the killing of a Cambodian soldier late in May during a brief skirmish. Troops on both sides of the border were reinforced amid a full-blown diplomatic crisis that brought Thailand's fragile coalition government to the brink of collapse. As of Saturday, Thailand said seven soldiers and 13 civilians had been killed in the clashes, while in Cambodia five soldiers and eight civilians had been killed, said Defence Ministry spokesperson Maly Socheata. In the Thai border province of Sisaket, a university compound has been converted into temporary accommodation, where a volunteer said more than 5,000 people were staying. WATCH | A breakdown of the deadly clashes between Thailand and Cambodia: Why Thailand's F-16s just bombed Cambodia in escalating border dispute | About That 17 hours ago A century-old border dispute between Thailand and Cambodia has boiled over after Thai and Cambodian forces fired on each other in a deadly exchange. Andrew Chang explains what spurred this recent violence and why neither side appears eager to back down. Samrong Khamduang said she left her farm, about 10 kilometres from the border, when fighting broke out on Thursday. The 51-year-old's husband stayed behind to look after livestock. "We got so scared with the sound of artillery," she said. "But my husband stayed back and now we lost the connection. I couldn't call him. I don't know what is happening back there." In Kuala Lumpur, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, the chair of the ASEAN regional bloc, said he would continue to push a ceasefire proposal. Cambodia has backed Anwar's plan, while Thailand has said it agreed with it in principle. "There is still some exchange of fire," Anwar said, according to state news agency Bernama. He said he had asked his foreign minister "to liaise with the respective foreign ministries and, if possible, I will continue engaging with them myself — at least to halt the fighting." Thailand, Cambodia trade accusations Thailand's ambassador to the United Nations told a Security Council meeting on Friday that soldiers had been injured by newly planted land mines in Thai territory on two occasions since mid-July — claims Cambodia has strongly denied — and said Cambodia had then launched attacks on Thursday morning. "Thailand urges Cambodia to immediately cease all hostilities and acts of aggression, and resume dialogue in good faith," Cherdchai Chaivaivid told the council in remarks released to media. Cambodia's Defence Ministry said Thailand had launched "a deliberate, unprovoked and unlawful military attack" and was mobilizing troops and military equipment on the border. "These deliberate military preparations reveal Thailand's intent to expand its aggression and further violate Cambodia's sovereignty," the ministry said in a statement on Saturday. Cambodia called for the international community to "condemn Thailand's aggression in the strongest terms" and to prevent an expansion of its military activities, while Bangkok reiterated it wanted to resolve the dispute bilaterally. Thailand and Cambodia have bickered for decades over jurisdiction of various undemarcated points along their 817-kilometre land border, with ownership of the ancient Hindu temples Ta Moan Thom and the 11th-century Preah Vihear central to the disputes. Preah Vihear was awarded to Cambodia by the International Court of Justice in 1962, but tension escalated in 2008 after Cambodia attempted to list it as a UNESCO World Heritage site. That led to skirmishes over several years and at least a dozen deaths. Cambodia in June said it had asked the court to resolve its disputes with Thailand, which says it has never recognized the court's jurisdiction and prefers a bilateral approach.
CNA
5 days ago
- Politics
- CNA
Thailand, Cambodia clash with jets and rockets in deadly border row
The Thai public health ministry said one soldier and at least 11 civilians were killed, most of them in a rocket strike near a petrol station in Sisaket province. Footage from the scene showed smoke pouring from a convenience store attached to the petrol station. Provincial officials said most of the dead were students inside the shop when the attack happened. "I heard a loud noise three or four times, and when I looked over, there was a gigantic cloud of smoke," Praphas Intaracheun, a 53-year-old gardener from Sisaket province, told AFP. He was refuelling at another petrol station around 300m from the one that was hit. "I was absolutely shocked. This is the first time I've ever experienced anything like this," he said. "I'm scared it might escalate during the night when you can't see anything. I don't even dare sleep." The Thai public health ministry said 35 civilians have been wounded. "I DON'T EVEN DARE SLEEP" Fighting was focused on six locations, the Thai army said, with ground troops and tanks battling Cambodian forces for control of territory. Six Thai air force jets were deployed, hitting two "Cambodian military targets on the ground", according to Thai military deputy spokesperson Ritcha Suksuwanon. Cambodia has not yet commented on casualties on its side. Defence ministry spokeswoman Maly Socheata refused to answer when asked about the issue at a news conference. Both sides blame the other for starting the fighting, which erupted near two temples on the border. The Cambodian defence ministry said its forces had responded in self-defence against an "armed assault". Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet requested an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council to address what his foreign ministry labelled "unprovoked military aggression". Thailand's government, meanwhile, accused Cambodia of being "inhumane, brutal and war-hungry" and said all border crossings had been shut and nearby residents evacuated. The Thai military blamed Cambodian soldiers for firing first, and later accused them of a "targeted attack on civilians", saying two BM-21 rockets had hit a community in Surin province, wounding three people. Thailand's embassy in Phnom Penh urged its nationals to leave Cambodia "as soon as possible". China, a close ally of Cambodia, said it was "deeply concerned" about the clashes, calling for dialogue - while urging its citizens in Cambodia to avoid the border with Thailand. LONG-RUNNING ROW The violence came hours after Thailand expelled the Cambodian ambassador and recalled its own envoy after five members of a Thai military patrol were wounded by a landmine. Cambodia downgraded ties to "the lowest level" on Thursday, pulling out all but one of its diplomats and expelling their Thai equivalents from Phnom Penh. The border row also kicked off a domestic political crisis in Thailand, where Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has been suspended from office pending an ethics probe over her conduct. A diplomatic call between Paetongtarn and Hun Sen, Cambodia's former longtime ruler and father of Hun Manet, was leaked from the Cambodian side, sparking a judicial investigation. Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has called on both sides to "stand down" and start talks.
CNA
6 days ago
- Politics
- CNA
Civilians wounded as Cambodia, Thailand trade fire in fresh border clashes
PHNOM PENH: Thailand's army said three civilians were wounded in a Cambodian rocket strike on Thursday (Jul 24) as the two countries' militaries clashed again in an escalating row over a disputed border. The neighbours are locked in a bitter spat over an area known as the Emerald Triangle, where the borders of both countries and Laos meet, and which is home to several ancient temples. The squabble has dragged on for decades, flaring into bloody military clashes more than 15 years ago and again in May, when a Cambodian soldier was killed in a firefight. Fresh fighting erupted on Thursday morning near two temples on the border between the Thai province of Surin and Cambodia's Oddar Meanchey. "The Thai military violated the territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Cambodia by launching an armed assault on Cambodian forces stationed to defend the nation's sovereign territory," defence ministry spokeswoman Maly Socheata said in a statement. "In response, the Cambodian armed forces exercised their legitimate right to self-defence, in full accordance with international law, to repel the Thai incursion and protect Cambodia's sovereignty and territorial integrity." The Thai army blamed Cambodian soldiers for firing first, and later accused them of a "targeted attack on civilians", saying two BM-21 rockets had hit a community in Surin's Kap Choeng district, wounding three people. According to the Thai army, the clashes began around 7.35am (6.35am Singapore time) when a unit guarding Ta Muen temple heard a Cambodian drone overhead. Later, six armed Cambodian soldiers, including one carrying a rocket-propelled grenade, approached a barbed-wired fence in front of the Thai post, the army said. Thai soldiers shouted to warn them, the army said, but around 8:20 am, Cambodian forces opened fire toward the eastern side of the temple, about 200 metres from the Thai base. Thailand's acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai said "the situation requires careful handling, and we must act in accordance with international law". "We will do our best to protect our sovereignty," he embassy in Phnom Penh urged its nationals to leave Cambodia "as soon as possible" unless they had urgent reasons to remain, in a Facebook post. LONG-RUNNING ROW The violence came hours after Thailand expelled the Cambodian ambassador and recalled its own envoy in protest after five members of a Thai military patrol were wounded by a landmine. Wechayachai said an investigation by the Thai military found evidence that Cambodia had laid new landmines in the disputed border area -- a claim denied by Phnom Penh. On Thursday morning, Cambodia announced it was downgrading ties to "the lowest level", pulling out all but one of its diplomats and expelling their Thai equivalents from Phnom Penh. Recent weeks have seen a series of tit-for-tat swipes by both sides, with Thailand restricting border crossings and Cambodia halting certain imports. The Thai army said in a statement that one soldier lost his leg in the landmine blast, and others suffered ear injuries and chest pain. Cambodia's defence ministry on Wednesday night "categorically rejected the unfounded accusations" made by Thailand. The ministry said the border areas still contained "many landmines left over from past wars" which have not been fully cleared. The border row also kicked off a domestic political crisis in Thailand, where prime minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has been suspended from office pending an ethics probe over her conduct. A diplomatic call between Paetongtarn and Hun Sen, Cambodia's former longtime ruler and father of Prime Minister Hun Manet, was leaked from the Cambodian side, sparking a judicial investigation.
France 24
6 days ago
- Politics
- France 24
Civilians wounded as Cambodia, Thailand trade fire in fresh border clashes
The neighbours are locked in a bitter spat over an area known as the Emerald Triangle, where the borders of both countries and Laos meet, and which is home to several ancient temples. The squabble has dragged on for decades, flaring into bloody miliary clashes more than 15 years ago and again in May, when a Cambodian solider was killed in a firefight. Fresh fighting erupted on Thursday morning near two temples on the border between the Thai province of Surin and Cambodia's Oddar Meanchey. "The Thai military violated the territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Cambodia by launching an armed assault on Cambodian forces stationed to defend the nation's sovereign territory," defence ministry spokeswoman Maly Socheata said in a statement. "In response, the Cambodian armed forces exercised their legitimate right to self-defense, in full accordance with international law, to repel the Thai incursion and protect Cambodia's sovereignty and territorial integrity." The Thai army blamed Cambodian solders for firing first, and later accused them of a "targeted attack on civilians", saying two BM-21 rockets had hit a community in Surin's Kap Choeng district, wounding three people. According to the Thai army, the clashes began around 7:35 am (0035 GMT) when a unit guarding Ta Muen temple heard a Cambodian drone overhead. Later, six armed Cambodian soldiers, including one carrying a rocket-propelled grenade, approached a barbed-wired fence in front of the Thai post, the army said. Thai soldiers shouted to warn them, the army said, but around 8:20 am, Cambodian forces opened fire toward the eastern side of the temple, about 200 metres from the Thai base. Thailand's acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai said "the situation requires careful handling, and we must act in accordance with international law". "We will do our best to protect our sovereignty," he said. Thailand's embassy in Phnom Penh urged its nationals to leave Cambodia "as soon as possible" unless they had urgent reasons to remain, in a Facebook post. Long-running row The violence came hours after Thailand expelled the Cambodian ambassador and recalled its own envoy in protest after five members of a Thai military patrol were wounded by a landmine. Wechayachai said an investigation by the Thai military found evidence that Cambodia had laid new landmines in the disputed border area -- a claim denied by Phnom Penh. On Thursday morning, Cambodia announced it was downgrading ties to "the lowest level", pulling out all but one of its diplomats and expelling their Thai equivalents from Phnom Penh. Recent weeks have seen a series of tit-for-tat swipes by both sides, with Thailand restricting border crossings and Cambodia halting certain imports. The Thai army said in a statement that one soldier lost his leg in the landmine blast, and others suffered ear injuries and chest pain. Cambodia's defence ministry on Wednesday night "categorically rejected the unfounded accusations" made by Thailand. The ministry said the border areas still contained "many landmines left over from past wars" which have not been fully cleared. The border row also kicked off a domestic political crisis in Thailand, where prime minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has been suspended from office pending an ethics probe over her conduct. A diplomatic call between Paetongtarn and Hun Sen, Cambodia's former longtime ruler and father of Prime Minister Hun Manet, was leaked from the Cambodian side, sparking a judicial investigation. Last week, Hun Manet announced that Cambodia would start conscripting civilians next year, activating a long-dormant mandatory draft law.
