Thai Authorities Accuse Cambodian Army of Firing Heavy Artillery at Civilian Homes
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet thanked US President Donald Trump on Sunday for his efforts to establish a ceasefire between Cambodia and Thailand, after the White House official assured the day before that the leaders of both countries had confirmed their willingness to reach a cessation of hostilities following several days of attacks on their shared border.
Manet “made it clear” to Trump that Cambodia agrees with the proposal for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire after the US leader expressed his “desire to avoid a war or fighting that would cause numerous deaths and injuries,” as well as his desire for “peace between the two countries.” “He has always made efforts to mediate and has managed to resolve conflicts in numerous countries around the world,” he stated.
“I would like to thank the honorable President Trump for his initiative and mediation in achieving an immediate ceasefire and peace between Cambodia and Thailand. This excellent outcome will help protect the lives of many soldiers and civilians who may have lost their lives or been injured in the fighting, and will help hundreds of thousands of refugees return to their villages to continue their daily lives safely and peacefully,” a statement read.
Manet explained that on Saturday night he had a telephone conversation with Trump about the armed clashes on the border, in which the US president “gave him the positive news that the Thai side also agreed” with his proposal “for an immediate ceasefire.” “This is positive news for the soldiers and the people of both countries,” he stated.
“I hope the Thai side does not change its position, as it did with Prime Minister (of Malaysia) Anwar Ibrahim’s coordination initiative on July 24,” he said, referring to the failure of a first ceasefire attempt brokered by the acting chairman of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), after Thailand rejected the proposal, citing “indiscriminate attacks on Thai territory.”
In this regard, the Cambodian prime minister has ordered his foreign minister, Prak Sokhonn, to address the situation with his US counterpart, Marco Rubio, and to “work in coordination” with the Thai foreign minister “to quickly implement the agreed principles with the goal of ending the casualties of soldiers and civilians on both sides.”
For its part, the Thai government—which has put the number of civilian deaths on its side at thirteen—has accused the Cambodian army of firing heavy artillery at around 4:30 a.m. (local time) against civilian homes in Surin province following a “disinformation campaign launched by Cambodia falsely claiming that Thailand had fired first.”
“Thailand strongly condemns this flagrant and repeated violation of international law and urges Cambodia to immediately cease attacks against civilian targets. A cessation of hostilities cannot be achieved while Cambodia displays a grave lack of good faith and repeatedly violates the basic principles of human rights and international law,” it stated.
Thus, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, it stressed that it “reserves the inherent right of self-defense, enshrined in Article 51 of the United Nations Charter, and has responded against limited military objectives to neutralize threats” to its “national sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
Finally, the ministry called on the international community “to condemn these inhumane and reprehensible acts committed by Cambodia, which have no place in a rules-based international order.”
The clashes erupted hours after Thailand announced a reduction in diplomatic ties with Cambodia after reporting that five soldiers were injured in an anti-personnel mine explosion in the neighboring province of Ubon Ratchathani (east), an incident Cambodia has given a different account of after months of tensions.
Relations between the parties had deteriorated after a Cambodian soldier was killed by Thai forces near Preah Vihear on May 28, located in a disputed area between the two countries. Since then, contacts to reduce tensions have not yielded any results.
