The chief of staff of First Army Region, Maj Gen Suravich Daengchan, condemned the Cambodian government today for using women, children and monks to incite border tensions, citing the recent incident at Ban Nong Ya Pong and Ban Nong Chan villages in Sa Kaeo province.
Thai border troops fired tear gas and rubber bullets at a group of Cambodian civilians protesting against the erection of barbed wire fencing along the shared border in Ban Nong Ya Pong on Wednesday, after repeated requests for them to disperse went unheeded.
Suravich alleges that Cambodian police and troops, who were present at the protest sites, did not intervene to stop their people from provoking Thai troops guarding the fence, with some protesters firing sling-shots at Thai troops. They also allegedly helped in the attempt to dismantle the fence.
He insisted that the use of tear gas and rubber bullets is in line with standard international crowd control procedures, adding that the erection of barbed wire fencing is intended to prevent encroachment onto Thai territory by Cambodian people.
He also accused Cambodian authorities of distorting the facts about the border incidents, by claiming that the Cambodian civilians were assaulted by Thai troops.
Police reinforcements will be sent to Ban Nong Ya Pong and Ban Nong Chan today, to guard the border fence, said Maj-Gen Suravich, adding that the Thai police will make arrests and charge any Cambodians who try to dismantle the fence.
