Thailand has firmly rejected allegations, made by Cambodia’s Ministry of National Defence, that Thai forces have used chemical weapons in attacks on Cambodian territory, calling them baseless and lacking credible evidence.
The Second Army Region Command also refuted the reports via its official Facebook page, stating that the photos accompanying the claims had been ‘doctored’.
During a press briefing today, Cambodian defence ministry spokeswoman, Lt Gen Maly Socheata, alleged that Thailand had used chemical weapons in its attacks.
“The Thai forces, since yesterday, have used aircraft to carry out poison gas attacks on areas such as An Ses and Phnom Kmoach,” she was quoted as saying by the Khmer Times.
File photo: Lt Gen Maly Socheata//AKP
She provided no evidence to support the accusation though. Nonetheless, her statement was reported and shared on various platforms, including the Facebook page of the Cambodian Embassy in Bulgaria.
Thai Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Nikorndej Balankura, strenuously denied the claims, stating that they were entirely unfounded and reflected a systematic distortion of the facts on the ground.
“It is a deliberate attempt to mislead the international community and undermine Thailand’s credibility and standing,” he said.
The Second Army Region Command’s Facebook page, meanwhile, explained that an image, allegedly showing a Thai aircraft spraying a pink column of smoke, had been manipulated.
The aircraft in question was, in fact, a plane dropping fire retardant, to control wildfires in California earlier this year.
Lt Gen Socheata’s earlier statement, accusing Thailand of fabricating falsehoods as a pretext for aggression, was also dismissed.
Thai Army spokesperson, Maj Gen Winthai Suvaree, reiterated that Thailand remains committed to peaceful solutions and has consistently exercised restraint in the face of provocations.
"Thailand is a peace-loving nation. We do not seek to invade any country," he said, "but when Cambodia initiates the use of force and violates our sovereignty, we have the right to defend ourselves."
He also accused Cambodia of systematically violating humanitarian principles and international rules of engagement, including the positioning of long-range artillery in civilian zones, to deter retaliation, and using civilians as human shields, in violation of the Geneva Convention.
Additionally, he accused the Cambodian side of exploiting women and children for propaganda purposes, by portraying them as victims before the international community.
