Cambodia accuses neighbor of annexing village. “Illegal activities”

The Cambodian government has accused the Thai army of armed “annexation” of the border village of Chouk Chey, the AFP news agency reported on the night from Friday to Saturday. According to Phnom Penh, these actions violate the fragile truce that ended bloody fighting between its Asian neighbors just a week ago.

– The Thai army has started the illegal annexation of Cambodian territories, said Information Minister Neth Pheaktra. The politician accused the neighbor of destroying civilian buildings and creating a “border fence” out of containers and barbed wire. “Thailand's unilateral assertion of sovereignty by force was also demonstrated by the display of the flag,” Pheaktra added, warning that Cambodia “will not recognize any border changes resulting from the use of force.”

Authorities in Bangkok have categorically denied allegations of invasion and “taking back territory.” The Thai army said in a statement that the disputed areas “were zones where Cambodian forces deployed troops and civilians settled, violating Thailand's sovereignty.” The military argues that Cambodia has occupied their lands for decades, and the current actions are only a restoration of control over its own territory, not an invasion.

Al-Jazeera television reported this week that, inhabited by about 3,000 people, the village of Chouk Chey was actually cut off from the world by Thai fortifications.

The escalation of tension threatens to disrupt the agreement signed on December 27, when both countries announced an immediate ceasefire in the border conflict that has killed at least 47 people in recent weeks and forced hundreds of thousands of residents of border regions in both countries to flee. As part of the declaration, the parties agreed to suspend military operations in the current positions and cooperate in demining the border.

The conflict between Asian kingdoms concerns a dispute over an 800 km long border drawn in colonial times. The current escalation follows the collapse of the previous ceasefire, negotiated in July with the participation of Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and US President Donald Trump. (PAP)

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