Hun Manet sends letter to world leaders over Ban Nong Ya Kaeo incident

Following an incident on Wednesday (September 17), where Cambodian citizens encroached on and dismantled the barbed wire at Ban Nong Ya Kaeo, Sa Kaeo Province, and assaulted crowd control officers, Thai authorities subsequently deployed tear gas and rubber bullets.

Reuters reported that Cambodia's information minister, Neth Pheaktra, accused Thai officials of encroaching across the border, and said they used "tear gas, rubber bullets and noise-making devices against Cambodian civilians."

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet has sent out letters to world leaders, seeking support from the international community and the regional bloc ASEAN to stop what he described as Thailand's "unilateral actions that risk escalating tensions and widening the conflict", a Cambodian government statement said.

The Thai army said in a statement that Thailand's use of force was a response to provocation from some 200 Cambodian protesters, some of whom dismantled Thai defensive barriers, threw sticks and stones and fired slingshots at Thai officials, causing injuries.

The area in question is clearly within Thailand's borders and is not part of any Cambodian territorial claim. The actions of the riot police were aimed at preventing the situation from escalating into civil disorder, it added.

The US government said it was aware of the situation and urged the governments of both Cambodia and Thailand to de-escalate tensions.

A US State Department spokesman called on the two sides to quickly finalise the "terms of reference" to establish a longer-term observer mission comprised of ASEAN member states on both sides of the border.