At a ceremony marking the fall of the Khmer Rouge, Cambodia’s defense minister publicly offered a new explanation for what triggered a deadly clash with Thai troops near the emerald triangle – an incident that has since fueled weeks of escalating tensions between the two countries.
Tea Seiha, who took over as defense minister from his father in 2023, blamed the May 28 clash in the contested “Mom Bei” area on simmering disputes after the burning of a meditation hall known as Sala Ruomchet.
“The root cause of the clash and dispute along the border is over who owns the location of Sala Ruomchet,” Seiha said in a speech. He said Thai troops accused Cambodian forces of setting the fire, but added no investigation had been carried out to determine the cause.
Both sides have traded blame for the clash, but previous accounts broadly agreed that an exchange of gunfire broke out after Cambodian troops operating in or near a trench in the Mom Bei area encountered Thai forces.
Images posted in March by a popular Cambodian pro-nationalist commentary page appeared to show the charred remains of the hall, with a Thai-language caption claiming the fire started from Cambodian homes and “does not affect Thailand.” CamboJA News could not independently verify the image.
Seiha said the purported blaze was caused by a forest fire and denied claims Cambodian troops were responsible. He added that Thailand also claims ownership of the meditation hall.
The 44-year-old minister also accused his Thai counterparts of poor diplomacy, saying officials told local media on June 5 that both sides had agreed to return reinforcement troops from undisclosed border areas to positions held before the clash, before Cambodia gave its consent. While he rejected media reports of such an agreement, Seiha did not clarify whether the troop movements took place.
A spokesperson for Thailand’s Defense Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Near the end of his speech, Seiha also expressed frustrations over border talks with Thailand, saying past negotiations with neighbors like Laos and Vietnam had seen more progress. He said that disparity justified Cambodia’s decision to bring four disputed heritage sites to the International Court of Justice – a move Thailand, which does not recognize the court’s jurisdiction, has called escalatory.
