Cambodians and Thai officials claim soldiers from the other side who first opened the fire in the latest deadly border collision between their neighbors.
Cambodian leaders sought calm in the country the day after soldiers were killed in a brief clash with troops from nearby Thailand in a conflict zone along the Thai-Cambodia border.
In a written statement on Thursday, Prime Minister Hun Mane said people should not “circulate in circulating unverified material,” reassuring the country that they do not want a conflict between Cambodian and Thai forces.
“For this reason, we hope that, as we have done in the past, the meeting between the Cambodian Army Commander and the Thai Army Commander will produce positive results to maintain stability and good military communication between the two countries.”
“I am in Japan, but the command system and hierarchy of major military operations, such as military movements, remain under my full responsibility as Prime Minister,” he added.
Cambodia’s Ministry of Defense said on Wednesday that one of the soldiers was killed in a brief shootout with Thai forces in a contested border area between the country’s Vihaa province and Thailand’s Ubon Ratchathani province.
The ministry accused Thai soldiers of first launching a fire in a Cambodian military post that had long existed in the contested border zone.
However, Thai defense minister Phumtham Wechayachai said that Cambodian troops in the region first fired, adding that they previously dug trenches into the region to assert Cambodian claims against the conflict zone.
“I have been informed that a return fire is necessary to protect myself and protect Thailand’s sovereignty. I have ordered caution. I have maintained a ceasefire, but both sides continue to face each other,” the minister said.
The country also reported that Thai Prime Minister Paetong Tarun Sinawatra had spoken with her counterpart Hun Mane, both of which were working to reduce the temperature of the conflict.
“We don’t want to escalate this,” the Thai Prime Minister was quoted as saying.
Cambodia and Thailand have a long history of conflict along their mutual borders, including the armed conflict that broke out near Cambodia’s Plievia Temple in 2008. In 2011, the battle broke out along the border.
The Associated Press news agency reports that in February, Cambodian troops and their families entered an ancient temple along the border, singing the Cambodian national anthem, leading to a brief discussion with the Thai army.
The incident was recorded on video and went viral on social media.
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