The Thai Air Force accused Cambodia today of distorting, for their own political advantage, Senator Angkhana Neelapaijit’s statement regarding strikes by the RTAF’s F-16 fighter jets on Cambodian military targets during the armed conflict in late July.
Senator Angkhana, a former human rights commissioner, is reported to have said that the F-16 air strikes had caused considerable damage to Cambodian military position. The Cambodian media, however, quoted her as claiming that the RTAF jets started bombing Cambodian troops first.
Air Marshal Chakkrit Thamvicha, the spokesman, insisted today that the fighter jets carried out strikes against Cambodian military targets, in response to the Cambodian rocket and artillery bombardment of Thai civilian targets.
He said that the F-16s dropped precision weapons to avoid collateral damage, as he maintained that the Thai response to Cambodia’s provocative act was self defence, as defined in Article 51 of the UN Charter.
He said that he does not intend to criticise Senator Angkhana for her statement, which was distorted by Cambodia, adding that he does not want to cause misunderstanding either.
Meanwhile, Army spokesman Maj-Gen Winthai Suvaree defended self-made crusader Kan Chompalang for blasting the sound of ghosts wailing at Cambodian settlers in Bang Nong Chan of Sa Kaeo province as an expression of dissatisfaction at the Cambodian encroachers’ persistent refusal to leave, what is claims, is Thai territory.
He said the Cambodians are not forced to listen to the disturbing sounds, because they have the choice to move elsewhere, but they don’t, adding that the use of disturbing sound does not constitute psychological torture.
Senator Angkhana has, however, recently expressed concern that Kan’s act might constitute a form of psychological torture and she questioned how the Thai government will explain it to the international community.
