PHNOM PENH, Jul 26 (NNN-AKP) – Armed clashes between Cambodian and Thai soldiers, over disputed border areas are still going on, as thousands of Cambodian villagers, evacuated to safer areas, Cambodian officials said yesterday afternoon.
Cambodian defence ministry’s undersecretary of state and spokesperson, Lieutenant General Maly Socheata, said, the Thai army attacked on seven locations in Cambodian provinces of Oddar Meanchey and Preah Vihear.
“During their attacks on Cambodian territory, the Thai side had used artillery, F-16 fighter jets, tanks, bombs-carrying drones, and cluster bombs,” she said in a press briefing.
Socheata said, the Thai side had attacked on Cambodian villages and a school in Oddar Meanchey province, leaving civilians wounded, including the elderly and children, and their properties damaged.
She added that, a lot of local residents have fled their homes for safer grounds.
Armed clashes between Cambodian and Thai soldiers broke out on Thursday morning, with both sides accusing each other of opening gunfire first.
Oddar Meanchey deputy governor, Met Meas Pheakdey, said over the hone that, at least one villager was killed and five others were wounded on Thursday, when the Thai side fired artillery shells into Oddar Meanchey province.
He said that, as of yesterday afternoon, more than 3,400 families living near the border in Oddar Meanchey province, have been evacuated to a safe refuge, as 260 schools in the province have been closed.
For Preah Vihear province, about 20,000 villagers have been evacuated to safer areas, local media, Khmer Times, reported, quoting Preah Vihear Provincial Governor, Kim Rithy.
Meanwhile, Cambodian foreign ministry’s secretary of state and spokesperson, Chum Sounry, said that, at the request of Cambodian Prime Minister, Hun Manet, the United Nations Security Council convened an emergency meeting at 3:00 p.m. yesterday, in New York (2:00 a.m. Saturday in Cambodia) to address the border clashes between Cambodia and Thailand.– NNN-AKP
