Bangkok, Dec 11, (dpa/GNA) – Thailand has for the first time acknowledged civilian deaths in its newly reignited border conflict with Cambodia.
Three civilians on the Thai side have been killed in the fighting, Defence Ministry spokesman Rear Admiral Surasant Kongsiri told the newspaper The Nation.
The number of Thai soldiers killed has risen to nine, he added.
Fighting continued on Thursday in the border region between the two countries.
Both sides accuse each other of targeting civilian areas since hostilities resumed.
Cambodia’s Interior Ministry has said, 10 civilians have been killed on its side of the border and another 60 people injured.
The Cambodian government has urged the UN Security Council to intervene.
In a letter the council presidency, Cambodia’s UN ambassador called on the body to demand an “an immediate cessation of all attacks” by the Thai military, and to dispatch an independent fact-finding mission to assess the situation.
The letter describes the latest Thai military operations as “violations of international humanitarian law.”
The Thai army rejected the accusations and said its forces were striking only military targets.
The conflict between the two south-east Asian neighbours, which had appeared largely calm in recent weeks, flared up again last week.
Since Sunday, both sides have accused each other of being the first to break a recently observed ceasefire along their 800-kilometre shared border. Ongoing fighting has since claimed several lives and forced more than 500,000 people from their homes.
US President Donald Trump, meanwhile, said he plans to speak with both parties by phone on Thursday, after initially suggesting a call would take place on Wednesday.
It remained unclear whether he was referring to a single joint conversation or separate discussions, and no details were given about who exactly would take part.
Trump told reporters at the White House he believed he could persuade the two countries to stop the fighting.
The latest clashes follow an agreement signed after heavy fighting in late October, witnessed by Trump. The truce collapsed in November after new incidents along the frontier.
The border dispute dates back to French colonial-era demarcations. At the heart of the conflict is a centuries-old temple, a UNESCO World Heritage site since 2008, dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva.
Both Thailand and Cambodia claim the temple and surrounding land, and previous clashes have erupted over the site.
GNA
Bangkok, Dec 11, (dpa/GNA) – Thailand has for the first time acknowledged civilian deaths in its newly reignited border conflict with Cambodia.
Three civilians on the Thai side have been killed in the fighting, Defence Ministry spokesman Rear Admiral Surasant Kongsiri told the newspaper The Nation.
The number of Thai soldiers killed has risen to nine, he added.
Fighting continued on Thursday in the border region between the two countries.
Both sides accuse each other of targeting civilian areas since hostilities resumed.
Cambodia’s Interior Ministry has said, 10 civilians have been killed on its side of the border and another 60 people injured.
The Cambodian government has urged the UN Security Council to intervene.
In a letter the council presidency, Cambodia’s UN ambassador called on the body to demand an “an immediate cessation of all attacks” by the Thai military, and to dispatch an independent fact-finding mission to assess the situation.
The letter describes the latest Thai military operations as “violations of international humanitarian law.”
The Thai army rejected the accusations and said its forces were striking only military targets.
The conflict between the two south-east Asian neighbours, which had appeared largely calm in recent weeks, flared up again last week.
Since Sunday, both sides have accused each other of being the first to break a recently observed ceasefire along their 800-kilometre shared border. Ongoing fighting has since claimed several lives and forced more than 500,000 people from their homes.
US President Donald Trump, meanwhile, said he plans to speak with both parties by phone on Thursday, after initially suggesting a call would take place on Wednesday.
It remained unclear whether he was referring to a single joint conversation or separate discussions, and no details were given about who exactly would take part.
Trump told reporters at the White House he believed he could persuade the two countries to stop the fighting.
The latest clashes follow an agreement signed after heavy fighting in late October, witnessed by Trump. The truce collapsed in November after new incidents along the frontier.
The border dispute dates back to French colonial-era demarcations. At the heart of the conflict is a centuries-old temple, a UNESCO World Heritage site since 2008, dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva.
Both Thailand and Cambodia claim the temple and surrounding land, and previous clashes have erupted over the site.
GNA