Thailand will consider ceasefire "based on appropriate on-the-ground conditions": Foreign Ministry

BANGKOK, July 26 (Xinhua) -- Thailand will consider a ceasefire, but it must be based on appropriate on-the-ground conditions, the Thai Foreign Ministry said on Friday.

In a statement, the ministry said the Thai government wishes to thank Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim for the offer of a ceasefire, "which Thailand fully agrees with in principle and will consider."

However, the ministry pointed out that Cambodian forces have continued their "indiscriminate attacks" on Thai territory throughout the day on Friday.

"Any ceasefire must be based on appropriate on-the-ground conditions. Thailand places utmost priority on the safety and security of civilians, and at this moment, Cambodia's actions demonstrate a lack of good faith and continue to place civilians in danger," said the statement, adding that the Thai government "has the obligation to protect its sovereignty and its people to the fullest extent."

Fourteen Thai people were killed and 46 others injured in military clashes near the Thailand-Cambodia border as of 9:00 p.m. local time on Thursday, according to Thailand's Ministry of Public Health.

Cambodia's Oddar Meanchey deputy governor, Met Meas Pheakdey, told Xinhua over the telephone that one villager was killed and five others were wounded on Thursday when the Thai side fired artillery shells into Cambodian territory.

The situation escalated following skirmishes that began Thursday morning. Each side blamed the other for violating international law.■