Cambodia, Nov 13: Cambodia on Thursday evacuated hundreds of residents from a village along its disputed border with Thailand, a day after a Cambodian man was killed when shooting broke out between the two countries, officials said.
The violence marked the latest flare-up in a tense frontier zone that has seen sporadic clashes despite a ceasefire signed last month. The shooting on Wednesday followed a landmine explosion two days earlier that injured a Thai soldier, prompting Thailand to accuse Cambodia of laying new mines in violation of the truce and to suspend parts of the agreement, which was partly brokered by then–U.S. President Donald Trump.
The Cambodian victim, identified as Dy Nai, was reportedly killed near Prey Chan village in Banteay Meanchey province. Three others were wounded. “About 250 families from Prey Chan have been evacuated to a Buddhist temple roughly 30 kilometers from the border,” provincial vice governor Ly Sovannarith said.
The same village witnessed a nonfatal confrontation in September between Thai security forces and Cambodian villagers.
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet called on Wednesday for an independent investigation into the latest incident. “Justice must be delivered for those affected,” he said, accusing Thai forces of “numerous provocative actions for many days with the objective of instigating confrontations.”
Thailand’s army rejected the allegations. Army spokesperson Maj. Gen. Winthai Suvaree said in a statement that Cambodian troops fired first from a civilian area, using villagers as shields. “Cambodia’s accusations that Thailand initiated fire and violated the ceasefire are entirely false,” he said.
The Cambodian Defense Ministry, meanwhile, dispatched a monitoring team to the border that included officials from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
Thailand maintains that its forces fired only warning shots after Cambodian soldiers allegedly opened fire into Thailand’s Sa Kaeo province.
The two nations have a long history of territorial rivalry dating back centuries to when both were regional empires. The disputed border stretches across rugged terrain marked by conflicting colonial-era maps.
The International Court of Justice in 1962 granted Cambodia sovereignty over the area surrounding the 1,000-year-old Preah Vihear temple, a ruling that remains a source of resentment in Thailand. The truce agreement reached in October did not address the core border dispute, leaving tensions unresolved.
