Strikes on civilians a 'war crime'

Bangkok Post

4 days ago

The Ministry of Public Health yesterday strongly condemned Cambodia following deadly rocket attacks yesterday that killed civilians, among them two schoolchildren, and struck areas in border provinces, including a hospital in Surin's Phanom Dongrak district.
Describing the attacks as inhumane, Public Health Minister Somsak Thepsutin said he was angered and saddened by the assaults on the hospital and other civilian targets in Surin and other provinces.
These attacks, which killed at least 11 people and injured several others, not only violated Thai sovereignty but also trampled on human values, he said.
Mr Somsak said the attack on the hospital was a gross violation of human rights and of the Fourth Geneva Convention (1949), which protects civilian hospitals during armed conflict.
The loss of innocent lives, including children, is unacceptable and cannot be forgiven, he said.
"The Public Health Ministry condemns in the strongest terms the attack on the hospital and on Thai citizens," he said.
"Hospitals must always be safe areas. A deliberate attack is crossing the line. Article 18 of the Fourth Geneva Convention says that civilian hospitals may in no circumstances be the object of attack and parties to the conflict are obligated to respect and protect [them]."
Mr Somsak said Cambodia's aggression is a serious violation of international law and a war crime, noting that those issuing an order to attack and those who carry it out must be held accountable.
The ministry demands that the Cambodian government cease any further attacks and take full responsibility, he said.
In a media interview, Mr Somsak said patients at Phanom Dong Rak Hospital and Kap Choeng Hospital, which are located in high-risk areas, have been evacuated or sent home with Surin's public health office raising the emergency to Level 2.
Somkhuan Singkham, chief of Kantharalak district in Surin, said seven people, including two schoolchildren, were killed in the attack on a 7-11 convenience store inside a petrol station in Ban Phue. The petrol station is reportedly located 20 kilometres from the border.
In Kap Choeng district, about 40,000 people in 86 villages were also evacuated to emergency shelters in schools in the neighbouring district of Prasart, said district chief Sutthiroj Charoenthanasak.
He said shelter capacity was adequate, and most evacuees had arrived safely. Two rockets struck a village at 9.40am while residents were awaiting evacuation, he added.
Attacking hospitals is potentially a war crime, he noted.