Foreign delegation gets first-hand look at border conflict damage
The delegation, comprising 105 people, included ambassadors and deputy chiefs of mission from 11 countries, military attachés from 23 nations, and 57 journalists from 27 domestic and international news agencies. They departed from Don Mueang Air Force Base in Bangkok early Friday morning.
The visit aimed to provide first-hand observation of the damage caused by Cambodian military attacks in violation of the ceasefire agreement that came into effect earlier this week, Thai authorities said.
Cambodian troops fired BM-21 multiple rocket launchers and artillery shells into civilian areas of Si Sa Ket province, hitting a hospital, a school, a petrol station and other non-military infrastructure.
The delegation then proceeded to the 22nd Military Circle at Sunpasitthiprasong Camp in Ubon Ratchathani for a briefing on the situation and the extent of the damage caused by the Cambodian military's actions.
Field inspections in Si Sa Ket included:
A PTT petrol station and attached 7-Eleven store in Ban Phue, Kantharalak district, where a BM-21 rocket strike killed eight civilians and injured ten.
Phum Srol Witthaya School in tambon Sao Thongchai, which sustained structural damage.
Tambon Sam Meng health promotion hospital, which was hit by artillery fire, prompting the evacuation of medical staff and patients. The facility is currently out of service.
The delegation also visited a temporary shelter in Kantharalak district, where displaced residents are being housed following the attacks.
The visit reflected Thailand's commitment to transparency and its willingness to allow the international community to witness the situation firsthand, government spokesperson Jirayu Huangsub said.
'This initiative demonstrates Thailand's sincerity and openness,' he said. 'We are not concealing the facts and welcome the global community to assess the situation with their own eyes.' (Story continues below)
Among the senior Thai officials leading the mission were Lt Gen Anuparp Sirimonthon, deputy army chief of staff; AM Narat Boonprasert, director-general of the Royal Thai Air Force's Civil Affairs Department; Russ Jalichandra, vice-minister for foreign affairs, and Maj Gen Naruedol Sukma, army inspector-general.
The diplomatic delegation included ambassadors from Brunei, Japan and Myanmar; deputy chiefs of mission from Malaysia and Laos; and representatives from Indonesia, the United States, Singapore, China, Vietnam and the Philippines.
Military attachés from the 23 countries — China, Malaysia, Pakistan, South Korea, Russia, Singapore, Germany, India, Laos, Canada, France, the United States, the Philippines, Japan, Vietnam, Italy, the Netherlands,Indonesia, Sweden, Switzerland, Brunei, Turkey and the United Kingdom — also joined the mission.
The media contingent comprised 110 Thai journalists from 18 agencies and 39 foreign correspondents from 23 international outlets, according to Mr Jirayu.
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