Thai military accuses Cambodian troops of firing weapons near border in Surin

The Thai military accused Cambodian troops today of firing five gunshots near the Thai border in Karb Choeng district of the northeastern province of Surin on Thursday, in what it described as a provocative act.

Army Spokesman Maj-Gen Winthai Suvaree said today that, at about 2.20pm on Thursday, five gunshots were heard in a location about 600 metres from a Cambodian-controlled area at kilometre marker 18 in Karb Choeng district.

He said that Thai troops stationed at the border later conducted an investigation, but didn’t find anything unusual and carried on with their normal duties. He also said that Thai troops did not return fire, which might have revealed their location to the Cambodian troops, and remained the alert to prevent any untoward incidents.

Even though the gunshots were just a distant disturbance, Winthai said that they constituted a clear violation of the joint statement between Thailand and Cambodia, adding that the Suranaree Task Force will submit a protest note to its Cambodian counterpart.

Responding to the Thai accusation, Lt-Gen Maly Socheata, spokeswoman for Cambodia’s Defence Ministry, categorically denied the Thai military’s accusation, describing it as a fabrication and a distortion of facts intended to create confusion and misunderstanding which could escalate border tensions.

She also said that the accusation by the Thai army will undermine mutual trust between the two countries, calling on the Thai side to comply strictly with Clause 8 on the joint statement, which states that the two countries agree to cooperate in resisting fake news.