NAKHON RATCHASIMA, 29 April 2011 – The Royal Thai Army has announced that Cambodia has apologized for the latest border clash, which erupted after a ceasefire pact was made, saying the incident was caused by misunderstanding.
At the Second Army Area Headquarters in the northeastern province of Nakhon Ratchasima, Second Army Area Spokesperson Colonel Prawit Hukaew reported that a slight confrontation broke out between Thai and Cambodian troops yesterday evening on the east side of Ta Kwai Temple in Surin province although a ceasefire agreement had been made between the two sides. The fight lasted for one hour, but Thailand sustained no injuries. However, a heavier clash erupted early this morning in the same area, leaving one Thai soldier dead and another five injured.
When asked whether the ceasefire agreement was deemed a failure, Col Prawit explained that the pact did not formally impose a halt on the cross-border fighting yet and thus could not guarantee that no more clashes would occur. He said it was not entirely a failure as it had effectively reduced the severity of the skirmishes.
In addition, the Spokesperson revealed that the Fourth Army Area Commander of Cambodia had made a phone call to the Second Army Area Commander of Thailand to express his apology for the new round of fighting, which he claimed to have stemmed from misunderstanding on the Cambodian side and disobedience among subordinates.
Col Prawit projected that the border situation would be able to return to normal within one week, provided that violent incidents in the area continued to lessen.
