Dozens of Cambodian civilians were injured when Thailand’s military used tear gas and rubber bullets during clashes in a disputed area on the Thai-Cambodia border, the most significant violence since both countries halted cross-border fighting in July.
Local media in Cambodia reported that 29 people, including local villagers and Buddhist monks, were hurt in the confrontation with Thai forces on Wednesday afternoon, while Thailand’s military said a number of its officials were also injured.
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The violence marks the most intense confrontation in months since a ceasefire agreed in late July brought an end to fighting between the Southeast Asian neighbours that saw artillery, rocket fire and air strikes kill at least 48 people in both countries and displace hundreds of thousands who fled their homes for safety.
“Cambodia urges Thailand to avoid actions that could escalate tensions or expand disputes,” Cambodia’s Ministry of Defence said in a statement published in local media on Thursday, as it condemned Thailand’s military for actions that violated Cambodian “sovereignty and international law”.
The Reuters news agency reports that the violence erupted in the vicinity of a contested frontier settlement, which Thailand claims is part of Ban Nong Ya Kaew village in Sa Kaeo province, and which Cambodia claims as part of Prey Chan village in Banteay Meanchey province.
Thailand’s military said that it responded at 3:40pm local time [08:40 GMT] to the arrival of some 200 Cambodian protesters who began demonstrating against the installation of “barricades and concertina wire to enhance security along the Thai-Cambodia Border”.
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Within 30 minutes of deploying to the flashpoint area where protesters from both countries have gathered over recent weeks, Thai forces fired rubber bullets and used tear gas “to control the situation”, accusing the Cambodian demonstrators of being armed with wooden sticks, stones and slingshots.
Long-range acoustic devices, which use high-powered sound as a method of crowd control, were also used by Thai forces against the Cambodian demonstrators, who were forced to withdraw from the area, the military said.
“Ultimately, crowd control police were deployed to de-escalate the situation in compliance with international norms, using tear gas and rubber bullets to prevent the unrest from spiralling into a full-blown riot,” Thai military spokesperson Winthai Suvari said in a statement.
Cambodian authorities have responded to the injury of their civilians with a flurry of statements, including the foreign ministry accusing Thai soldiers of entering Cambodian territory and attacking residents who were peacefully defending their homes.
The Thai military’s “repeated provocations … not only endanger the fragile ceasefire along the border but also seriously undermine ongoing efforts by both governments to resolve disputes through peaceful dialogue and negotiation,” the ministry said.
Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Manet wrote to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in a letter accusing Thai forces of “widening the conflict zone by erecting barbed wire and barricades, issuing ultimatums, and forcibly evicting Cambodian civilians from long-settled land”.
The Cambodian government’s human rights committee called for the international community to “intervene and urge Thailand to respect regional and international law”.
Thailand and Cambodia have a long history of border disputes, with the sovereignty of many undemarcated points along their 817km (508 miles) land border still contested.
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