नवीनतम
Cambodia says Thai troops still occupy civilian areas
NEW DELHI [Maha Media]: Thailand’s military continues to occupy civilian areas in Cambodia, having barricaded some with barbed wire and shipping containers, posing a risk to a truce between the neighbours who clashed twice last year, the Cambodian foreign minister said.
Up to 4,000 Cambodian families are unable to return to homes along the disputed frontier because of the Thai incursions, Prak Sokhonn told Reuters, despite a December agreement that halted weeks of fierce border clashes.
“The Thai military is still occupying territories well inside Cambodia,” he said on Tuesday in a rare interview from Phnom Penh, the capital, listing at least four border locations as incursion sites.
“The situation remains calm, but there are some risks as well. So we hope that Thailand will remain committed to the full implementation of the ceasefire.”
In response to questions from Reuters, Thai military and government officials referred to a January 12 statement by Thailand’s foreign ministry that dismissed Cambodia’s accusations as “baseless”.
“The maintenance of current troop positions following the ceasefire constitutes direct compliance with agreed de-escalation measures,” the Thai ministry said. “This cannot be misconstrued as territorial occupation.”
With fighter jet sorties, exchanges of rocket fire and artillery barrages, the two neighbours battled for 20 days in December, following a July round of clashes that ended after calls by U.S. President Donald Trump.
