Thai Army Guides Diplomats to Witness Border Attack Aftermath Today
SI SA KET, Aug 1 (TNA) – The Royal Thai Army (RTA) is leading a delegation of 11 ambassadors, chargés d’affaires, and diplomatic representatives, along with 23 military attachés and media, to inspect areas in Si Sa Ket province impacted by Cambodian military attacks on civilian targets.
The tour aims to demonstrate the extent of damage to schools, hospitals, a gas station, and a convenience store.
The delegation first arrived at Wing 6 Airport, where the RTA’s Public Relations Center briefed them on the situation in civilian areas and hospitals affected by the ongoing Thai-Cambodian border situation, particularly focusing on damages and alleged ceasefire breaches by Cambodia.
The group then travels to Kantharalak district, Si Sa Ket, to visit the site of a rocket attack by Cambodian soldiers on a PTT gas station and convenience store. The attack resulted in eight Thai civilian deaths, including an 8-year-old child, and injured 10 others.
Further inspections include Phum Sarol Witthaya School, where delegates observe damaged areas, and Ban Cham Meng Health Promoting Hospital to assess the impact. The tour concludes at a temporary shelter at Kantharalak Technical College.
The diverse diplomatic delegation includes ambassadors from Brunei, Japan, and Myanmar; chargés d’affaires from Malaysia, Laos, and Indonesia; and various diplomatic representatives from the United States, Singapore, China, Vietnam, and the Philippines. Additionally, military attachés from 23 nations, including China, Malaysia, Pakistan, South Korea, Russia, Singapore, Germany, India, Laos, Canada, France, the United States, the Philippines, Japan, Vietnam, Italy, the Netherlands, Indonesia, Sweden, Switzerland, Brunei, Turkiye, and the United Kingdom, are present to witness the scene firsthand.
Major General Winthai Suvaree, RTA spokesperson, states that nearly 200 people, including ambassadors, chargés d’affaires, military attachés, and both international and local media, are participating in the site visit. He emphasizes that the primary objective is to showcase the impact of Cambodian military weaponry on civilian targets, including hospitals, schools, and commercial establishments, as well as the conditions at temporary shelters housing displaced civilians.
“Our main goal is to emphasize the facts,” Maj. Gen. Winthai says. “The locations we are visiting are actual incident sites. Each of these points is several tens of kilometers away from the combat zone.” -819 (TNA)