The Thai embassy in Phnom Penh on Thursday urged Thai nationals to leave Cambodia as troops from the two countries clashed over a disputed border area.
The embassy said in a Facebook post that Thais should leave Cambodia “as soon as possible” unless they had urgent reasons to remain in the neighbouring country.
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet, meanwhile, claimed Thai forces were the aggressors in the latest incident on Thursday morning.
He said the Thai army had expanded the geographical scope of its onslaughts, launching attacks against Cambodian military positions at the Preah Vihear and Ta Krabei temples in Oddar Meanchey province.
“Cambodia always maintains a stance of wanting to resolve issues peacefully, but, in this case, we have no choice but to respond with armed force against this armed invasion,” Hun Manet said in a statement on Facebook.
Chhum Socheat, a Cambodian defence ministry spokesperson, claimed the clash started after Thai soldiers laid barbed wire around Prasat Ta Muen Thom temple in Surin on Thursday morning after the landmine incident the day before.
Former prime minister Hun Sen also commented in a Facebook post: “Cambodia’s soldiers have no choice but to fight back.”
He called on Cambodians to remain calm, adding that they did not need to buy rice to store in panic.
