BANGKOK/PHNOM PENH - The Thai army on Sunday condemned Cambodia's attack on civilian areas in Si Sa Ket Province, leaving one Thai civilian dead. A Thai army spokesperson said on the same day that there are currently no ceasefire plans in place.
In a statement, the Royal Thai Army said Cambodian forces fired BM-21 rockets at a civilian neighborhood and a school zone in Si Sa Ket Province on Sunday. The strikes killed one civilian who was hit by shrapnel and set one residential house on fire.
The army strongly condemned Cambodia's act of targeting civilian areas unrelated to military operations for two consecutive days, which has caused casualties among civilians.
Regarding ceasefire arrangements, Royal Thai Army Spokesperson Winthai Suvaree announced on Sunday that there are currently no ceasefire plans in place.
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He noted that the absence of a ceasefire is due to Cambodia's persistent attacks on Thai military positions and civilian settlements, which pose a severe security threat to Thailand. The current military operations will continue until Cambodia ceases all hostile acts.
Thailand's military also announced on Sunday the imposition of a curfew in parts of Trat province, citing the ongoing situation along the border areas.
In an official order, the military said that a curfew was immediately enforced in five districts of the province, namely Khlong Yai, Bo Rai, Laem Ngop, Khao Saming, and Mueang Trat. Residents in these areas are prohibited from leaving their homes from 19:00 to 05:00 the following day.
According to Thai media reports, the military's announcement came in the wake of an incident on the night of Saturday, when three M79 grenades were fired at the headquarters of the Marine Corps Task Force in Trat province. The projectiles are believed to have originated from within Thailand. No casualties were reported as the grenades landed in an uninhabited area.
This marks the second province to impose a curfew since the latest round of Thailand-Cambodia border clashes erupted. The Thai military had already put a curfew in place in four border districts of Sa Kaeo province on Wednesday.
Bangkok disappointed over Trump's remarks
On Saturday, Thai Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow said at a press conference that landmines causing Thai military casualties along the Thailand-Cambodia border were deliberately planted by Cambodia instead of an "accident," expressing disappointment over US President Donald Trump's related social media remarks.
Sihasak said that the US side may not have a full grasp of the facts or might have received inaccurate information. He cited Cambodia's seven documented instances of laying landmines along the border, as verified by independent observers, along with its premeditated BM-21 rocket attack on Thai civilian areas.
Countering Trump's claim of an excessive response, the Thai foreign minister emphasized that his country's response was proportional to the attacks it had endured.
Sihasak said that the Thai people were disappointed by Trump's comment that the roadside bomb, which killed and injured multiple Thai soldiers, was an "accident," noting that such remarks had hurt the feelings of the Thai people.
Sihasak also raised concerns that 6,000 to 7,000 Thai nationals were stranded on the Cambodian side of the Poipet border checkpoint, unable to return home. He pointed out that Thailand had never hindered the repatriation of Cambodian citizens residing in the country, while Cambodia had repeatedly delayed the reopening of border crossings.
Thailand's caretaker Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet said they held separate phone talks with Trump on Friday regarding their border conflict.
On the same day, Trump posted on social media that the two leaders had agreed to a ceasefire effective Friday evening.
Anutin said in a social media post on Saturday that his country will continue its military operations until Thailand's territory and people are no longer under threat.
ALSO READ: Thailand says border clashes with Cambodia displace over 400,000 Thai residents
Also on Saturday, Thailand's 1st Army Area Command said in a social media post that its subordinate troops, in coordination with the Royal Thai Air Force, launched airstrikes against two Cambodian military targets at 16:09 local time, successfully destroying Cambodia's weapons and ammunition depots as well as air defense and communication systems.
A Royal Thai Navy spokesperson stated on the same day that naval fleets had carried out a military operation in the Gulf of Thailand in the early hours of the morning. The operation aimed to degrade and contain Cambodia's military capabilities in the vicinity of Koh Kong province and safeguard the lives and property of residents along the Gulf of Thailand coast.
Separately, at a press conference on the Thailand-Cambodia border situation held on Saturday, a spokesperson for Thailand's Ministry of Defense and a health official reported that the latest round of clashes between the two countries has left 15 Thai soldiers dead and more than 270 others wounded.
As of Saturday morning, over 260,000 Thai civilians had taken shelter in refugee camps, with seven civilians confirmed dead.
Meanwhile, Cambodia's Ministry of Interior announced in a press release on Saturday that it would suspend all border crossings with Thailand until further notice.
The press release said the move was made after the Thai side had committed acts of aggression against Cambodia's sovereignty through indiscriminate attacks, causing civilian casualties and damaging residential areas and infrastructure.
In this regard, Cambodian citizens currently residing and working in Thailand are advised to continue living and working there as normal. Likewise, Thai nationals currently residing and working in Cambodia are advised to remain in Cambodia as usual, until a ceasefire is in place, it said.
Flights between Phnom Penh and Bangkok as well as those between Siem Reap and Thailand are operating as normal although the Cambodia-Thailand border fighting is still going on, a Cambodian civil aviation spokesperson said on Saturday.
"So far, Cambodia's two international airports -- the Siem Reap Angkor International Airport and the Techo International Airport, which serves the capital city of Phnom Penh -- have still accommodated flights from Thailand as usual. There is no change," Sinn Chanserey Vutha, secretary of state and spokesperson of Cambodia's State Secretariat of Civil Aviation (SSCA), told Xinhua on Saturday evening.
