Cambodia is accused of breaking an hours-old truce, and Thailand’s army claims that sporadic clashes continued despite a resolution to end deadly fighting between the two Southeast Asian nations.
Thailand’s army spokesman, Winthai Suvaree, said in a statement on Tuesday that the troops had retaliated “appropriately” and in “self-defence.”
The Thai side was aware that Cambodian forces had carried out armed attacks on several areas of Thai territory when the deal came into effect, according to Winthai.
He continued, “This is a clear attempt to undermine mutual trust and a deliberate violation of the agreement.”
Thailand is compelled to act appropriately while also exercising its constitutional right to self-defense.
At least 38 people were killed and nearly 300, 000 were displaced in the fighting along their 800km (500-mile) border, according to Cambodia and Thailand after peace talks in Malaysia.
A cross-border committee will be set up in Cambodia on August 4 to ease tensions after the peace agreement, which will see military commanders from both sides meet at 7am local time (00:00 GMT) on Tuesday.
Talks between both sides are currently scheduled for 10am local time (03:30 GMT), according to a spokesman for the Thai army.
According to Tony Cheng, a journalist from Surin province in Thailand, there have been “a few clashes in several areas along the border.”
They did publish a statement informing people that the Cambodian military had broken the ceasefire. However, Cheng said that for the most part, it appears to be holding.
An AFP journalist reported that the blasts stopped in the 30 minutes leading up to midnight on Monday in Samraong, Cambodia’s capital city, 20 kilometers (12. 4 miles) from Thailand’s border, before the lull continued until dawn.
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet stated in a Facebook message on Tuesday morning that “the front line has gotten a little easier since the ceasefire at 12 midnight.”
The ceasefire was “a crucial first step toward de-escalation and the restoration of peace and security,” according to a joint statement from both nations on Monday, as well as Malaysia, which hosted the peace talks.
Source: Aljazeera
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