Prime Minister Hun Manet reassured the nation that he did not want a conflict between Cambodian and Thai forces in a written statement on Thursday that people should not “panic over unverified material being circulated.”
“I hope that the upcoming meeting between the Cambodian and Thai army commanders will have beneficial outcomes in order to maintain stability and effective military communication between the two countries, as we have done in the past,” said Hun Manet, who is currently visiting Tokyo.
He continued, “Even though I am in Japan, my full responsibilities as prime minister are still in the command system and hierarchy for major military operations, such as troop movements.”
In a tense border region between Thailand’s Preah Vihear province and Cambodia’s Ubon Ratchathani province, the country’s Ministry of National Defense announced on Wednesday that one of its soldiers was killed in a brief firefight with Thai troops.
The ministry claimed that Thai soldiers opened fire on a Cambodian military post that had been in the conflict’s border zone first.
Cambodian forces in the area had opened fire first, according to Thailand’s minister of defense Phumtham Wechayachai, adding that they had previously dug a trench there to bolster Cambodia’s claim over the disputed territory, according to local media reports.
“To defend our country and defend Thailand’s sovereignty, the return fire was advised,” I’ve been informed. I’ve advised caution. Both sides continue to face off, the minister said, according to Thailand’s The Nation newspaper, despite the ceasefire.
Additionally, The Nation reported that Hun Manet, the country’s prime minister, and Paetongtarn Shinawatra, her counterpart, were negotiating to lower the stakes.
The Thai prime minister’s statement read, “We don’t want this to escalate.”
Along their shared border, Cambodia and Thailand have a long history of fighting, including armed clashes that broke out in 2008 close to Cambodia’s Preah Vihear Temple, which was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site that year. In 2011, fighting also broke out along the border.
According to the Associated Press news agency, Cambodian troops and their families entered a historic border temple in February, where they sang the country’s national anthem, leading to a brief dispute with Thai troops.
Source: Aljazeera
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