Phnom Penh [Cambodia], May 29: Cambodian Senate President Hun Sen has voiced strong support for the government's deployment of troops and heavy weapons to the border area to prepare for defense, according to the AKP news agency.
"I do not want to see any armed conflict break out, but I fully support the royal government's decision to deploy soldiers and heavy weapons to the border area as a defensive preparation in case of further aggression," Hun Sen stressed in a message on his official social media channels on the evening of May 28, according to Cambodia 's AKP News Agency .
Mr. Hun Sen expressed hope that the talks scheduled for today, May 29, between military commanders of Cambodia and Thailand will yield positive results and there will be no tension along the entire border.
Mr. Hun Sen also sent his deepest condolences and sympathy to the family of the late Warrant Officer Suon Ron, who was killed in a gunfight between Cambodian and Thai soldiers in an undemarcated border area in the early morning of May 28.
"A peaceful, friendly, cooperative and developing border should never witness such incidents. I strongly condemn any individual, entity or government that decides to carry out such an aggressive act...", Mr. Hun Sen emphasized.
Besides, Mr. Hun Sen called on Cambodian people not to escalate this conflict into ethnic hatred and to trust in the military efforts of the government and both countries to resolve the problem.
The gunfight occurred at 5:45 a.m. on May 28 in the Chong Bok area of Nam Yen district, Ubon Ratchathani province in northeastern Thailand, bordering Cambodia's Preah Vihear province, according to Thailand's The Nation newspaper . The area has not yet been demarcated and both sides have made overlapping claims.
According to AKP, citing a press release issued by the Ministry of National Defense on the afternoon of May 28, an armed clash between Cambodian and Thai forces occurred in Techo Morokot village, Morokot commune, Choam Ksan district, Preah Vihear province early that morning when Thai soldiers were said to have opened fire on an old Cambodian military trench.
"This clash is not what Cambodia wants. We will continue to discuss with the Thai Ministry of Defense to find a common solution, quickly restore the normal situation and prevent such incidents from happening again," the Cambodian Ministry of Defense stressed in the statement.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper
