Latest news with #ThailandCambodia
NHK
3 days ago
- General
- NHK
Thai, Cambodian militaries agree to ease border tensions
Thailand and Cambodia have agreed to withdraw their troops from the site on their disputed border where the two sides exchanged fire on Wednesday. One Cambodian soldier was killed in the incident. The army chiefs of both countries met on Thursday and expressed condolences over the death. They also agreed to seek a peaceful resolution to the issue. Thai defense officials say all troops on both sides have already left the area where the incident occurred. The clash took place along the border between Thailand's northeastern province and Cambodia's northern province. Cambodian troops say they were conducting a patrol when they came under fire. Thai officials, however, claim they tried to talk before the Cambodians started shooting. The territorial dispute between the two nations spiked after a temple in the border area was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2008. Tensions have eased in recent years and officials stress Wednesday's clash was accidental.
Washington Post
4 days ago
- General
- Washington Post
Thai and Cambodian armies agree to seek peaceful solutions at disputed border after deadly clash
BANGKOK — The army chiefs of Thailand and Cambodia agreed on Thursday to a withdrawal and to seek a peaceful solution to the disputed border area where a brief clash a day earlier killed one Cambodian soldier, Thai officials said. Cambodian troops were conducting a routine patrol along the border when the Thai side opened fire, Cambodia said Wednesday. The Thai army said that the Cambodian soldiers entered a disputed area and opened fire when Thai soldiers approached to negotiate. The clash lasted about 10 minutes until local commanders spoke to each other and ordered a ceasefire, the Thai army said. Gen. Pana Claewplodtook, the Thai army chief, met with Cambodian counterpart Gen. Mao Sophan at a border checkpoint and expressed his condolences over the death of the Cambodian soldier, Thai army spokesperson Winthai Suvaree said. Winthai said both sides agreed to a withdrawal and will seek peaceful solutions together through special joint committees on border situations between the two countries in the coming weeks. He said that the troops from both sides had already stepped back from the area of the clash to their usual positions. A statement from the Cambodian army that was released later said that the two countries would work together to resolve the situation peacefully. However, the statement said that Cambodia wouldn't 'retreat or stand unarmed at the point of conflict,' although it wasn't clear from which position the army was referring to. Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra said on Thursday before the talks that she was confident of a positive development for the border situation, and that both sides agreed that they don't wish for violence. Prime Minister Hun Manet of Cambodia posted on his Facebook that officials of the two countries wanted to prevent further clashes and normalize the situation. But he also said Cambodia has sent troops and weapons as reinforcement to the disputed border. 'I do not want to see any fighting between armies that does not bring any benefits to our two countries and peoples, especially those who are fighting directly on the front lines,' he said. Neighboring Thailand and Cambodia have a long history of land disputes. The most prominent involved the Preah Vihear promontory, an area around a 1,000-year-old temple that was listed as a UNESCO world heritage site in 2008. The U.N.'s International Court of Justice granted sovereignty over the area to Cambodia in 2013. There have been recent border incidents between the two countries, including in February when Cambodian troops and their family members entered an ancient temple along the border and sang the Cambodian national anthem, leading to a brief argument with Thai troops. ___ Sopheng Cheang reported from Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
