Border violence

Thai soldiers once again opened fire on suspected Cambodian migrant workers as they attempted to illegally cross the border from Oddar Meanchey province into Thailand’s Surin province on Tuesday.

Khul Thin, deputy police chief of Oddar Meanchey province’s Banteay Ampil district, said five Cambodian labourers were shot at just inside of Thai territory. Only one of the men was actually struck with a bullet, while the four others left him behind as they fled back across the border.

“We are unsure whether the injured worker has returned [to Cambodia] or was captured or got lost somewhere in the jungle,” the deputy police chief said. “Cambodian soldiers are communicating with the Thai side to find the real cause of the incident.”

While the cause of the shooting was uncertain, Khul Thin said he suspected that the Cambodian workers were crossing the border for the purpose of logging.

In a similar incident late last month, Thai soldiers opened fire on five Cambodian loggers who illegally crossed the border, resulting in one death.