A content creator and long-term Cambodian resident has described how Thai soldiers fired warning shots near him while he was visiting the O Smach border area, which is opposite Surin province of Thailand, according to the Phnom Penh Post.
Kevin Smith, a British national, said the incident occurred on Wednesday while he was filming near the Thai-Cambodian frontier in O Smach, in Cambodia’s Oddar Meanchey province.
Smith claimed in a social media post cited by the Post that Thai soldiers just fired “at him” in O Smach, where they are illegally occupying Cambodian sovereign territory, for simply trying to speak the truth about the situation.
“I was unarmed, unprotected, unprovocative. All I had was a camera,” he said.
In a video clip later posted online, two gunshots could be heard in the background. Smith claimed four shots were fired in total and said Thai soldiers warned him not to film in the area.
Smith said he travelled to O Smach to highlight what he described as Thailand’s hypocrisy in seeking bilateral discussions on maritime issues while refusing talks regarding disputed border areas.
“My aim was to expose this hypocrisy,” he said. “I did not expect them to fire again, as that would be unwise.”
Smith said he moved to within about 20 metres of the barbed-wire barrier near the border and began filming a video when he suddenly heard loud bangs.
“After the first two shots, I finished the video I was making because I didn’t want to leave it incomplete,” he said. “The soldiers then advised me to take shelter, so we moved to the side of the road, when another two rounds were fired.”
He also alleged that Thai soldiers shouted insults and made offensive gestures toward him, while his cameraman continued filming from what he described as a safer location.
Smith linked the latest incident to an episode on April 29th, when Cambodia’s Ministry of National Defence reported gunfire during a visit by foreign military attachés to the O Smach International Border Checkpoint.
At the time, Cambodian Defence Ministry spokeswoman Lt Gen Maly Socheata said shots from M-16 rifles and M-79 grenade launchers were fired while members of the Military Attaché Corps to Phnom Penh were observing the area.
Cambodian authorities said the display appeared inconsistent with the spirit of the current ceasefire between Cambodia and Thailand.
According to the Post, Smith has gained attention in recent months for repeatedly visiting disputed border areas following the Dec 27th ceasefire agreement between Thailand and Cambodia.
He has staged protests against what he describes as Thai occupation by spray-painting slogans on shipping containers and roadside signs near contested zones.
“Am I scared? No. Am I deterred? No,” Smith told the newspaper. “My mission has always been clear: I am doing this to get the truth out to the world, even if it costs me my life.”
Earlier Thai army spokesman Maj Gen Winthai Suvaree revealed that Thai troops encountered 10 to 15 Cambodian soldiers, accompanied by two “foreigners” near the barbed-wire boundary in the same area.
The group approached the border line and recorded video footage in what Thai authorities described as provocative behaviour.
Thai officers initially issued verbal warnings, but when the group failed to retreat, soldiers fired two warning shots, in accordance with security measures designed to prevent encroachment and reduce tensions along the frontier.
