“I AM SO FRIGHTENED”
Cambodian villager Hul Malis told AFP by phone that gunfire from across the border had wounded at least three people in her area.
“They just shot at us. We did nothing,” she said. “I am so frightened, I am running away now.”
Her husband, Thong Kimleang, told AFP the Thai military “fired a lot of shots” for around 15 minutes.
The dispute between Thailand and Cambodia centres on a century-old disagreement over their borders mapped during France’s colonial rule in the region, with both sides claiming a smattering of border temples.Â
Back in July, the region ignited with open combat along the frontier waged with fighter jets, missile strikes and ground troops.
A truce began on Jul 29 after intervention by Trump, as well as Chinese diplomats and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who chairs the Association of Southeast Asian Nations bloc.
They signed a joint declaration last month, agreeing to withdraw heavy weapons and allowing ceasefire monitors access to the border.Â
While experts said the deal failed to adjudicate the core territorial dispute, Trump flew into Kuala Lumpur to oversee the pact he cited as evidence of his presidential peace-making abilities.
But the apparent fresh landmine blast and renewed clashes have thrown its future into doubt.
Thailand has already delayed the release of 18 captured Cambodian soldiers, a key plank of the joint declaration.
Source: CNA
