On July 24th, local time,
It was learned that in response to the Thai government’s recall of its ambassador to Cambodia and expulsion of the Cambodian ambassador to Thailand, as well as the downgrading of diplomatic relations with Cambodia,
the Cambodian government announced reciprocal measures.
On July 23rd, Thailand decided to reduce the level of diplomatic relations with Cambodia due to an “explosive ordnance” incident. The Cambodian government stated that the accusations by Thailand were baseless and fabricated, aiming to shift the responsibility for its improper diplomatic actions onto Cambodia.
In response, the Cambodian government has decided to lower the diplomatic relationship with Thailand to the lowest level, namely, the consular level. Cambodia announced the recall of all diplomats and staff from its embassy in Thailand, except for necessary personnel, and also requested that Thai diplomats leave the country within a specified timeframe.
△Thai-Cambodian border (Archive photo)
On the 23rd, Thailand’s acting Prime Minister Prathap said that he learned from military reports that a Thai soldier had stepped on an explosive ordnance while patrolling at the Thai-Cambodian border, resulting in his right leg being blown off. The government has now adopted the military’s suggestion, ordering the closure of all border checkpoints under the jurisdiction of the Second Army of Thailand, strictly prohibiting tourists from entering, and deciding to downgrade the diplomatic relations between Thailand and Cambodia. The recall of the Thai ambassador to Cambodia and the expulsion of the Cambodian ambassador to Thailand have been made, with further assessments of the level of bilateral relations to be made based on the situation.
Prathap also mentioned that he has ordered the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs to submit a protest letter to Cambodia, pointing out that previous patrols have never involved such explosive ordnance, and this incident involves newly buried ordnance, hence Thailand has taken the most appropriate countermeasures to escalate the situation. (CCTV reporter: Fu Xinri)
The Thai Prime Minister is deeply embroiled in the “phonegate scandal.”