PHNOM PENH: Cambodia rejected allegations that its military fired on Thai troops patrolling their border, Phnom Penh's information minister told AFP on Tuesday (Feb 24).
"These claims are entirely false, fabricated and grossly distort the facts with the deliberate intent to mislead public opinion and provoke tension along the Cambodia-Thailand border," Neth Pheaktra said.
Thailand's army said Cambodian forces "fired a single 40 mm grenade round" near a Thai patrol in the border province of Sisaket on Tuesday morning, prompting return fire, according to a statement.
Thai army spokesman Winthai Suvaree accused Cambodia of violating a ceasefire agreement, which ended three weeks of deadly border clashes in December.
Neth Pheaktra, however, reiterated Cambodia's "unwavering commitment" to the December truce and an earlier short-lived ceasefire deal from October.
"Cambodia is deeply concerned that unilateral allegations made without joint verification, consultation or factual substantiation risk misrepresenting the situation on the ground and undermining mutual trust," the minister said.
The Thai army said the "incident may have resulted from a rotation of Cambodian troops, with new personnel lacking familiarity with regulations and command control", citing a preliminary assessment.
Last month, Thailand also accused Cambodia of violating their truce, saying cross-border mortar fire wounded a soldier, while Phnom Penh said a "pile of garbage" exploded, injuring two of its own troops. - AFP
