Latest news with #RichaSuksuwanon
Bangkok Post
3 days ago
- Politics
- Bangkok Post
RTA dismisses 'fake temple strike' news
The Royal Thai Army (RTA) has dismissed as groundless Cambodian media reports accusing the Thai military of targeting Cambodian civilians and severely damaging the Preah Vihear temple, a World Heritage site, during Thursday's airstrikes. In a written statement yesterday, the RTA described these reports as "disinformation" aimed at political manipulation and an attempt to justify unilateral aggression. The RTA categorically denies these allegations, it said. Conducted in accordance with self-defence, international law and International Humanitarian Law (IHL), all Thai operations only target military threats, said the RTA. Cambodian forces, on the other hand, have fired BM-21 rockets and artillery at civilian areas in Thailand, while using "human shields", a grave violation of humanitarian principles, according to the RTA. Armed with a sense of ethics befitting a professional and modern military, the RTA insisted Thailand avoids strikes that may endanger civilians, despite having the legal right to respond to Cambodia's provocative attacks, it added. "Thailand follows international rules and acts with reason, not emotion," said the RTA. Thai air operations, if employed, use precision-guided systems, unlike Cambodia's BM-21 rocket-launching system, which lacks accuracy and control and has resulted in casualties even within Cambodia's own territory, said the RTA. "The Royal Thai Army has no intention to initiate conflict, but rather to defend Thailand's sovereignty and people with honour, professionalism and full adherence to international norms," said the RTA. The Khmer Times ran an article yesterday saying shocking evidence had emerged that Thailand had, on Thursday, bombed and damaged the Preah Vihear temple. Col Richa Suksuwanon, a deputy army spokesman, revealed that at 8.50am yesterday BM-21 rockets landed in three spots in Moo 5 village in tambon Si Wichian in Nam Yuen district of Ubon Ratchathani. Two houses and a road section in the village were consequently damaged, but no one was injured as all residents had been evacuated, said the spokesman. A fresh round of clashes erupted yesterday at around 4am in the Chong Bok and Phu Makua areas in Ubon Ratchathani and in Phanom Dong Rak district of Surin province, according to the Thai army. Cambodian forces began using heavy artillery, including BM-21 rocket launchers, prompting the forces to return fire. Elsewhere, at around 4.30am, the Cambodian side opened fire in areas around the aforementioned temple, which prompted the Thai side to respond with "barrage fire", said a source. The persistent border violence prompted the Royal Thai Navy yesterday to shut indefinitely all marine and land crossings along the Thai-Cambodian border in the coastal provinces of Chanthaburi and Trat.
Irish Independent
4 days ago
- Politics
- Irish Independent
Thailand and Cambodia exchange fire for second day as clashes threaten to spiral into all-out war
The Thai health ministry said 14 civilians and a soldier had been killed in the fighting so far and 46 people wounded. The Cambodian government did not provide any such details but an provincial official in Oddar Meanchey said a civilian had been killed and five wounded. The Thai military said its fighter jets bombed targets in Cambodia in response to sustained bombardment with heavy weapons, field artillery and rocket systems. The neighbours exchanged fire across several disputed zones along the 817km land border on Thursday, sparking the deadliest clashes since 2011. Both nations claimed the other fired first. Thailand's acting prime minister Phumtham Wechayachai and the military accused Cambodian forces of deliberately targeting civilian areas. Cambodia in turn accused the Thai military of 'pre-emptively' opening fire on its troops and using heavy artillery. Thai authorities have evacuated 40,000 civilians from 86 villages near the border since the fighting began. Cambodian officials have not provided any evacuation numbers yet. The Thai army said it deployed F-16 fighter planes to bomb two military targets in Cambodia. 'We have used air power against military targets as planned,' army deputy spokesperson Richa Suksuwanon said. The Cambodian defence ministry said the Thai warplanes had dropped bombs on a road near the ancient Preah Vihear Temple, close to the border. In a letter to Pakistan, current president of the United Nations Security Council, Cambodian prime minister Hun Manet asked it to convene a meeting of the body to stop the 'unprovoked and premeditated military aggression' by Thailand in violation of international law. The Security Council is due to meet on Friday to discuss the conflict. The US, an ally of Thailand, called for an immediate end to hostilities. State Department deputy spokesperson Tommy Pigott said that Washington was 'gravely concerned by the escalating violence along the Thailand-Cambodia border and deeply saddened by reports of harm to civilians'. 'The US urges an immediate cessation of hostilities, protection of civilians and a peaceful resolution of the conflict,' he added. Malaysian prime minister Anwar Ibrahim, who spoke with his counterparts in Thailand and Cambodia, said the warring parties were willing to consider a ceasefire. 'I welcome the positive signals and willingness shown by both Bangkok and Phnom Penh to consider this path forward. Malaysia stands ready to assist and facilitate this process in the spirit of Asean unity and shared responsibility,' he said. The conflict erupted a day after a landmine blast maimed five Thai soldiers on Wednesday. Bangkok accused Cambodia of laying new Russian explosives in violation of a key international treaty. The first exchange of fire occurred at 8.20am local time near Prasat Ta Muen Thom, an ancient Khmer-Hindu temple close to the heavily patrolled border, the Thai army said. Moments before the firing began, a Cambodian drone was seen flying in the area and six heavily armed soldiers approached a Thai military base, the Thai army claimed. The Cambodian defence ministry disputed the Thai army's claims. It accused the Thai army of firing first and claimed that its own soldiers were 'responding to an unprovoked incursion by Thai troops that violated our territorial integrity'. Late on Wednesday, following the landmine incident, Thailand expelled the Cambodian envoy in Bangkok and recalled its own ambassador from Phnom Penh. Phnom Penh retaliated by reducing diplomatic ties to their lowest level, withdrawing all staff from its Bangkok embassy, and ordering Thai diplomats out of the country, escalating a standoff already inflamed by nationalist outrage, trade boycotts and disputed claims over fatal blasts in the contested frontier zone. Thailand sealed the border and evacuated thousands of people living near it as many came under heavy artillery fire. Mr Wechayachai said the situation was 'delicate'. 'We have to be careful,' he said. 'We will follow international law.' Later in the day, the acting prime minister said that there had as yet been no declaration of war and that the conflict had not spread into other provinces. Cambodia's influential former premier Hun Sen, father of the incumbent prime minister, said two provinces had come under shelling from the Thai army. He called for calm, and urged Cambodians to trust their government and armed forces in these tense times. The premier said Cambodia had 'always maintained a position of peaceful resolution of problems but, in this case, we have no choice but to respond with armed force against armed aggression'. The southeast Asian nations have contested sovereignty over un-demarcated places along their border for more than 100 years. The border was initially mapped by France in 1907, when Cambodia was under French colonial rule. Tensions rose in 2008 after Cambodia tried to register an 11th-century temple located in the disputed region as a Unesco heritage site, drawing protests from Thailand. The immediate cause of renewed hostilities was an exchange of gunfire in a contested frontier zone on 28 May that killed one Cambodian soldier. Each nation claimed to have acted in self-defence, but tensions quickly escalated. Several border checkpoints had already been closed or were operating under heavy restrictions after the deadly clash in May. In the aftermath, Cambodia banned Thai films and TV programmes, suspended imports of fruits, vegetables and fuel from the neighbouring country, and cut access to some of Thailand's international internet links and electricity supply.
The Independent
4 days ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Thailand and Cambodia exchange fire for second day as death toll rises to 16
Thailand and Cambodia continued fighting for the second day on Friday as the escalating border conflict threatened to spiral into an all-out war between the Southeast Asian nations. The Thai health ministry said 14 civilians and a soldier had been killed in the fighting so far and 46 people wounded. The Cambodian government did not provide any such details but an provincial official in Oddar Meanchey said a civilian had been killed and five wounded. The Thai military said its fighter jets bombed targets in Cambodia in response to sustained bombardment with heavy weapons, field artillery and rocket systems. The neighbours exchanged fire across several disputed zones along the 817km land border on Thursday, sparking the deadliest clashes since 2011. Both nations claimed the other fired first. Thailand 's acting prime minister Phumtham Wechayachai and the military accused Cambodian forces of deliberately targeting civilian areas. Cambodia in turn accused the Thai military of 'pre-emptively' opening fire on its troops and using heavy artillery. Thai authorities have evacuated 40,000 civilians from 86 villages near the border since the fighting began. Cambodian officials have not provided any evacuation numbers yet. The Thai army said it deployed F-16 fighter planes to bomb two military targets in Cambodia. 'We have used air power against military targets as planned,' army deputy spokesperson Richa Suksuwanon said. The Cambodian defence ministry said the Thai warplanes had dropped bombs on a road near the ancient Preah Vihear Temple, close to the border. In a letter to Pakistan, current president of the United Nations Security Council, Cambodian prime minister Hun Manet asked it to convene a meeting of the body to stop the 'unprovoked and premeditated military aggression' by Thailand in violation of international law. The Security Council is due to meet on Friday to discuss the conflict. The US, an ally of Thailand, called for an immediate end to hostilities. State Department deputy spokesperson Tommy Pigott said that Washington was 'gravely concerned by the escalating violence along the Thailand-Cambodia border and deeply saddened by reports of harm to civilians'. 'The US urges an immediate cessation of hostilities, protection of civilians and a peaceful resolution of the conflict,' he added. Malaysian prime minister Anwar Ibrahim, who spoke with his counterparts in Thailand and Cambodia, said the warring parties were willing to consider a ceasefire. 'I welcome the positive signals and willingness shown by both Bangkok and Phnom Penh to consider this path forward. Malaysia stands ready to assist and facilitate this process in the spirit of Asean unity and shared responsibility,' he said. The conflict erupted a day after a landmine blast maimed five Thai soldiers on Wednesday. Bangkok accused Cambodia of laying new Russian explosives in violation of a key international treaty. The first exchange of fire occurred at 8.20am local time near Prasat Ta Muen Thom, an ancient Khmer-Hindu temple close to the heavily patrolled border, the Thai army said. Moments before the firing began, a Cambodian drone was seen flying in the area and six heavily armed soldiers approached a Thai military base, the Thai army claimed. The Cambodian defence ministry disputed the Thai army's claims. It accused the Thai army of firing first and claimed that its own soldiers were 'responding to an unprovoked incursion by Thai troops that violated our territorial integrity'. Late on Wednesday, following the landmine incident, Thailand expelled the Cambodian envoy in Bangkok and recalled its own ambassador from Phnom Penh. Phnom Penh retaliated by reducing diplomatic ties to their lowest level, withdrawing all staff from its Bangkok embassy, and ordering Thai diplomats out of the country, escalating a standoff already inflamed by nationalist outrage, trade boycotts and disputed claims over fatal blasts in the contested frontier zone. Thailand sealed the border and evacuated thousands of people living near it as many came under heavy artillery fire. Mr Wechayachai said the situation was 'delicate'. 'We have to be careful,' he said. 'We will follow international law.' Later in the day, the acting prime minister said that there had as yet been no declaration of war and that the conflict had not spread into other provinces. Cambodia's influential former premier Hun Sen, father of the incumbent prime minister, said two provinces had come under shelling from the Thai army. He called for calm, and urged Cambodians to trust their government and armed forces in these tense times. The premier said Cambodia had 'always maintained a position of peaceful resolution of problems but, in this case, we have no choice but to respond with armed force against armed aggression'. The southeast Asian nations have contested sovereignty over undemarcated places along their border for more than 100 years. The border was initially mapped by France in 1907, when Cambodia was under French colonial rule. Tensions rose in 2008 after Cambodia tried to register an 11th-century temple located in the disputed region as a Unesco heritage site, drawing protests from Thailand. The immediate cause of renewed hostilities was an exchange of gunfire in a contested frontier zone on 28 May that killed one Cambodian soldier. Each nation claimed to have acted in self-defence, but tensions quickly escalated. Several border checkpoints had already been closed or were operating under heavy restrictions after the deadly clash in May. In the aftermath, Cambodia banned Thai films and TV programmes, suspended imports of fruits, vegetables and fuel from the neighbouring country, and cut access to some of Thailand's international internet links and electricity supply.
The Star
4 days ago
- Politics
- The Star
Fiery exchange at the border
Jet strikes and shelling kill civilians as Thailand-Cambodia tensions boil over A Thai F-16 fighter jet bombed targets in Cambodia, both sides said, as weeks of tension over a border dispute escalated into clashes that have killed at least 12 people, including 11 civilians. Of the six F-16 fighter jets that Thailand readied to deploy along the disputed border, one of the aircraft fired into Cambodia and destroyed a military target, the Thai army said. Both countries accused each other of starting the clash yesterday. 'We have used air power against military targets as planned,' Thai army deputy spokesperson Richa Suksuwanon told reporters. Thailand also closed its border with Cambodia. Cambodia's defence ministry said the jets dropped two bombs on a road, and that it 'strongly condemns the reckless and brutal military aggression of the Kingdom of Thailand against the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Cambodia'. The skirmishes came after Thailand recalled its ambassador to Cambodia late on Wednesday and said it would expel Cambodia's envoy in Bangkok, after a second Thai soldier in the space of a week lost a limb to a landmine that Bangkok alleged had been laid recently in the disputed area. A man looking at the damage to Phanom Dong Rak hospital in Surin province, Thailand, after Cambodia fired artillery shells. — Agencies Thailand's health minister said 11 civilians, including a child, and one soldier were killed in artillery shelling by Cambodian forces while 24 civilians and seven military personnel were wounded. There was no immediate word of casualties in Cambodia. 'The Thai Army condemns Cambodia for using weapons to attack civilians in Thailand. 'Thailand is ready to protect sovereignty and our people from inhumane action,' the country's military said in a statement. China expressed concern at the fighting and said it was willing to play a role in promoting de-escalation. Thai residents including children and the elderly ran to shelters built of concrete and fortified with sandbags and car tyres in the Surin border province. 'How many rounds have been fired? It's countless,' an unidentified woman told the Thai Public Broadcasting Service (TPBS) while hiding in the shelter as gunfire and explosions were heard intermittently in the background. Cambodia's foreign ministry said Thailand's airstrikes were 'unprovoked' and called on its neighbour to withdraw its forces and 'refrain from any further provocative actions that could escalate the situation'. For more than a century, Thailand and Cambodia have contested sovereignty at various undemarcated points along their 817km land border, which has led to skirmishes over several years and at least a dozen deaths, including during a week-long exchange of artillery in 2011. People resting at a shelter following recent clashes along the disputed border between the two countries in Surin province. — Agencies Tensions were reignited in May following the killing of a Cambodian soldier during a brief exchange of gunfire, which escalated into a full-blown diplomatic crisis and now has triggered armed clashes. The clashes began early yesterday near the disputed Ta Moan Thom temple along the border between Cambodia and Thailand, about 360km east of Bangkok. Thailand's Health Minister Somsak Thepsuthin told reporters the deaths took place across three border provinces and included an eight-year-old boy in Surin. He added that the Cambodian shelling included a strike on a hospital in Surin province, which he said should be considered a war crime. 'Artillery shell fell on people's homes,' Sutthirot Charoenthanasak, district chief of Kabcheing in Surin province, said, adding that authorities had evacuated 40,000 civilians from 86 border villages to safer locations. 'Two people have died,' he added. Video footage showed a plume of thick black smoke rising from a gas station in the neighbouring Thai Sisaket province, as firefighters rushed to extinguish the blaze. A total of eight people have been killed and 15 wounded in Sisaket, the health minister said, adding that another person was killed in the border province of Ubon Ratchathani. The army said Cambodia deployed a surveillance drone before sending troops with heavy weapons, including rocket launchers, to an area near the Ta Moan Thom temple. A spokesperson for Cambodia's defence ministry, however, said there had been an unprovoked incursion by Thai troops and Cambodian forces had responded in self-defence. Thailand's acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai said the situation was delicate. 'We have to be careful,' he told reporters. 'We will follow international law.' — Reuters
The Independent
4 days ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Tourists urged to avoid travel to Cambodia and Thailand amid escalating conflict
Britons have been urged to avoid all but essential travel to parts of Cambodia and Thailand following escalating conflict in the area. The British foreign ministry has advised Brits to avoid the region, which is experiencing the worst fighting between the countries in 13 years. Thailand scrambled an F-16 fighter jet to bomb targets in Cambodia on Thursday after artillery volleys from both sides killed at least 12 civilians, as border tension boiled over into rare armed conflict between the Southeast Asian countries. Both blamed each other for starting a morning clash at a disputed area of the border, which quickly escalated from small arms fire to heavy shelling in at least six locations 209 kilometres (130 miles) apart along a frontier where sovereignty has been disputed for more than a century. Thailand 's acting prime minister Phumtham Wechayachai has accused Cambodian forces of deliberately targeting civilian areas after 12 people were killed in border clashes. The southeast Asian neighbours exchanged fire across several disputed zones along their land border, in the deadliest clashes since 2011. Both nations have claimed the other fired first. Thailand's health minister said 11 civilians and a soldier were killed in fighting across Surin, Ubon Ratchathani and Sisaket provinces. The number of Cambodian losses is unclear. Thai authorities have evacuated approximately 40,000 civilians from 86 villages near the border. Cambodian authorities have not yet confirmed how many civilians have been evacuated. The Thai army said it flew F-16 fighter planes to bomb two military targets in Cambodia. 'We have used air power against military targets as planned,' army deputy spokesperson Richa Suksuwanon said. The Cambodian defence ministry said the Thai planes had dropped bombs on a road near the ancient Preah Vihear Temple, close to the border.
