Thai authorities said Thursday they had bombed a logistics center close to the renowned Cambodian border casino town of Poipet as conflict between the two nations intensifies.
The confirmation comes after Cambodia earlier accused Thailand of dropping two bombs near Poipet, located alongside the Thai border in Banteay Meanchey province and arguably the country’s most popular border casino hub.
Cambodia’s interior ministry had also stated prior to those strikes that at least four other casinos along the border had been damaged by Thai strikes, with Thailand claiming that it has been targeting logistics centers and facilities storing rocket systems.
Tensions between the two countries have been high ever since a border clash on 28 May left a Cambodian soldier dead. That incident ultimately resulted in then-Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra being deposed and her Pheu Thai Party removed from government following an ill-fated phone call with former Cambodian leader Hun Sen in which she appeared to criticize the actions of Thai troops in the border clash.
A recent intensifying of fighting has, according to local media reports, killed at least 21 people in Thailand and 17 in Cambodia.
While those same reports claim this week’s bombings are the first on Poipet, Thailand has revealed that around between 5,000 and 6,000 Thai citizens remain stranded in the town due to the closure of the usually popular border crossing.
RelatedPosts
