Cambodia says Thailand escalated strikes during border talks
Cambodian and Thai officials were in their third day of talks at a border checkpoint on Friday, with defence ministers from both countries scheduled to meet on Saturday.
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PHNOM PENH: Cambodia accused Thailand on Friday (Dec 26) of intensifying its bombardment of disputed border areas, even as officials from the two countries attend a multi-day meeting aimed at negotiating an end to deadly clashes.
The neighbours' long-standing border conflict reignited this month, shattering an earlier truce and killing more than 40 people, according to official counts. Around a million people have also been displaced.
Cambodian and Thai officials were in their third day of talks at a border checkpoint on Friday, with defence ministers from both countries scheduled to meet on Saturday.
However, Cambodia's defence ministry said Thailand's military carried out a heavy bombardment of disputed border areas in Banteay Meanchey province on Friday morning.
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"From 6.08am (7.08am, Singapore time) to 7.15am, the Thai military deployed F-16 fighter jets to drop as many as 40 bombs, to intensify its bombardment in the area of Chok Chey village," it said in a statement.
Thai media said on Friday that Cambodian forces had launched heavy attacks overnight along the border in Sa Kaeo province, where several homes were damaged by shelling.
REMOVAL OF HINDU STATUE
Thailand on Thursday defended its military's demolition of a Hindu statue along the border with Cambodia, saying the removal was carried out to assert control in a disputed frontier area.
A Cambodian official responded angrily to the destruction of the statue of the Hindu deity Vishnu, after more than two weeks of military clashes between the neighbours.
The Preah Vihear provincial spokesman said it was built in 2014 on Cambodian territory and knocked down on Monday.
Hindu-majority India's foreign ministry said on Wednesday that "such disrespectful acts hurt the sentiments of followers around the world, and should not take place".
But the Thai government said on Thursday that the statue's removal was "related to security considerations and area administration and not intended to disrespect any religion or beliefs".
"The said structure was not connected to any religion, but was merely a decorative piece at a location along the Thailand-Cambodia border," it added.
In a separate statement, Bangkok said that the statue was "not installed as a registered or officially recognised religious site".
"More importantly, its removal was undertaken with the objective of affirming effective control of the area," according to the Thai government.
It expressed "sincere regret for any discomfort that may have arisen from misunderstandings" due to the circulating images.
Videos showing the demolition of the Vishnu statue using a backhoe circulated widely on Thai social media pages this week.
AFP verified the footage and confirmed it was filmed near the disputed An Ses area.
A Google Maps search showed the statue's location was around 400m from the border, on the Cambodian side.
The two countries blame each other for instigating the fresh fighting, which has spread to nearly every province along their border.
Both countries also claim to have acted in self-defence and accuse the other of attacking civilians.
The United States, China and Malaysia brokered a truce to end five days of deadly clashes in July, but the ceasefire was short-lived.
Earlier on Friday, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet said on Facebook that he had spoken by phone with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the two discussed "ways to secure a ceasefire along the Cambodia-Thailand border".
The conflict stems from a territorial dispute over the colonial-era demarcation of their 800km frontier and a collection of temple ruins situated there.
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