Photo: The Nation Thailand/ANN
PHNOM PENH/BANGKOK (Xinhua): Cambodia said on Wednesday that the Thai military used fighter jets to drop cluster bombs in Banteay Meanchey province.
But the Thai army responded that the cluster bombs deployed are exclusively targeted at military objectives.
The Thai military also used fighter jets to drop four bombs into civilian areas in Battambang province, the Cambodian Ministry of Defense said in a press release.
The Cambodian Mine Action and Victim Assistance Authority on Tuesday expressed its grave concern regarding reports of Thailand's use of cluster munitions and toxic gas in or near civilian areas.
Winthai Suvaree, spokesperson for the Royal Thai Army, said on Wednesday that what Cambodia claimed to be cluster bombs were used against military targets, and these shells are not weapons designed to harm civilians.
Winthai emphasized that the Convention on Cluster Munitions, which prohibits parties from using, producing, or stockpiling such weapons, is not binding because neither Thailand nor Cambodia is a party to the convention.
Meanwhile, AFP reported that Cambodian and Thai officials began four days of talks at a border checkpoint on Wednesday aimed at negotiating an end to deadly clashes, Phnom Penh said.
The meeting in Thailand's Chanthaburi province had been at risk after Phnom Penh demanded a switch to a neutral venue.
But the Cambodian government posted a picture of the two defence delegations in a simply-furnished meeting room and said the talks had begun, seeking to "ensure the cessation of hostilities", restore stability and "facilitate a swift return to normalcy".
The neighbours' long-standing border conflict reignited this month, shattering an earlier truce, killing more than 40 people and displacing around a million, officials have said.
Talks are due to run until Saturday and Thai defence ministry spokesperson Surasant Kongsiri told reporters that Bangkok was "very hopeful that the meeting will have positive outcomes".
But he said its success depended on the Cambodian side's sincerity, in words and actions.
Bangkok has previously demanded that Phnom Penh announce a truce first and cooperate in de-mining efforts at the border.
Despite ongoing cross-border fire, Cambodia's interior ministry this week said it was "optimistic that the Thai side will demonstrate sincerity" in implementing a ceasefire.
The conflict stems from a territorial dispute over the colonial-era demarcation of their 800-kilometre (500-mile) border and a smattering of ancient temple ruins situated on the frontier.
Each side has blamed the other for instigating the fresh fighting since December 7 and traded accusations of attacks on civilians, after five days of clashes in July killed dozens.
