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Some 850 Cambodian families have been evacuated from disputed villages along Banteay Meanchey border after a civilian was killed and three others wounded amid fears of escalating violence, officials said.
Provincial spokesperson Norng Vuhty said, however, the situation remained calm.
Residents from Chouk Chey village said the situation flared up over the weekend, prompting another wave of evacuation as reports of Thai forces moving artillery near the border rose.
Resident Phal Pharath said he and his family, including his two-week-old baby, left on Saturday for the shelter.
“The situation is not good. They [Thai soldiers] have brought their artillery,” he said. “We got information that Thai soldiers are moving towards the border,” said the father of three children, adding that about 300 families have fled the village.
Chouk Chey village chief Pen Rithy confirmed that hundreds of families have moved to a safety center due to fear, following recent flashpoints in nearby Prey Chan village.
Chouk Chey and Prey Chan have reported flashpoints since the ceasefire ended a five-day border clash with Thailand that killed dozens and displaced hundreds of thousands. Thai forces have since erected barricades in long-settled Cambodian villages and ordered residents to vacate their homes, barring them from entering since August.
Thailand suspended the Peace Declaration signed with Cambodia at the ASEAN Summit late October, leading to a temporary halting of reciprocal trade negotiations by the U.S. with Thailand until they reaffirm their commitment to the joint declaration, Thai media quoted their Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesperson Nikorndej Balankura, as saying.
The Thai government expressed disappointment in the U.S., stressing that security issues, particularly the Thailand–Cambodia dispute, should not be linked to trade, which benefit both countries, he said.
The peace agreement signed by Cambodia and Thailand on October 26 and witnessed by the leaders of the U.S. and Malaysia, was intended to end the border dispute that erupted into open conflict in July, killing dozens and displacing hundreds or thousands on both sides.
Back home, the Interior Ministry is investigating and collecting evidence where Thai troops opened fire on Cambodian civilians in Prey Chan on November 12.
According to a November 15 statement, Cambodia will consider “filing a complaint” with relevant international bodies to demand accountability and justice for innocent civilians. The Thai army denied targeting or injuring them.
