The death toll of Thais from cross-border attacks by Cambodian troops rose to five today, after an artillery shell fired from Cambodia struck a convenience store inside a petrol station in Ban Phue, Kantharalak district, Sisaket province, killing three people and injuring 14 others.
The incident occurred about 20 kilometres from the Thai-Cambodian border, where clashes between troops on both sides have been escalating in recent days.
Emergency services and authorities are currently at the scene, providing assistance and assessing the damage caused by the shelling.
Earlier in the day, two Thai villagers were killed and two others injured in a Cambodian rocket attack on a border development centre in Kab Choeng district of Surin province.
The Thai Army condemned Cambodia for launching the attack, saying two BM-21 rockets fired by Cambodian forces struck the community centre at 9:40 a.m. People at the centre were immediately evacuated.
Kab Choeng district chief Sutthiroj Charoenthanasak said that as villagers waited to be evacuated, two rockets hit the centre, injuring four. All were rushed to the district hospital, where two—one of them a 12-year-old child—were pronounced dead upon arrival.
He said between 30,000 and 40,000 people living near the border are now being evacuated to temporary shelters further inland. Local officials have not been able to return to the development centre to assess the damage due to safety concerns.
The 122mm BM-21 Grad multiple rocket launcher, commonly known as the “Stalin Organ,” was first introduced during the Soviet era and is typically operated from trucks.
The Thai Army said it is closely monitoring the border situation and will continue to keep the public informed.
In the latest development, several students and civilians were reportedly injured when a BM-21 rocket fired from Cambodia struck a PTT petrol station in Kantharalak district, Si Sa Ket province, at around 11:29 a.m., according to the Second Army Region’s web page.
