Border Killing

A migrant worker from Battambang died after being shot by Thai soldiers while returning from work in Thailand on Wednesday, in a violation of military agreements between the two countries, a Cambodian border official said Thursday. Colonel An Saray, commander of the Cambodia-Thailand Border Relations Office in Battambang’s Sampov Luon district, said Dim Doeun was shot by “black-clad” Thai soldiers 200 metres from the border at 6:40pm while returning with three colleagues. “The shooting is absolutely an abuse of the memorandum of understanding we have agreed to that armed forces not open fire on migrant workers, but the Thais still abused this,” he said. Thai soldiers had opened fire because they believed the men were illegally smuggling motorbikes across the border, he added, and confirmed that the body had been repatriated Thursday. Koy Kuong, spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, also condemned the shooting, and said the ministry was waiting for an official explanation from the consulate in Thailand’s Sakeo province.