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| Thai soldiers (Photo: Reuters) |
Phak Seangly
The Phnom Penh Post
Four Cambodians allegedly lugging timber across the country’s northwestern border have been shot dead by Thai soldiers in just eight days.
Reach Raim, 37, and 17-year-old Dy Yem had been gunned down last Wednesday in the forests of Thailand’s Sisaket province after allegedly trying to smuggle timber into Cambodia, Tuoch Ra, chief of the Cambodian-Thai border communications team at Chaom Sagnam International Border Crossing, said yesterday.
Five days earlier, two Cambodian soldiers accused of smuggling illegally logged timber were shot dead by Thai soldiers about five kilometres inside Thailand’s Surin province.
“We are not sure whether they were loggers or not, because they are dead already. They could have been framed,” Ra said.
“The Thais claimed they had shot them just to protect themselves, because the Khmers had weapons,” he said, adding that the Thai soldiers had claimed the victims were brandishing arms.
“Our people know about the [risks of] being shot, but they still go. Some of them say they are led to log at the border by another person.”
A report issued by the Banteay Meanchey Cambodia-Thai border relations office yesterday morning shows a spike in the number of killings for the first six months of this year compared to last year.
It reveals that from January to July this year, Thai police or soldiers shot 38 Cambodians allegedly logging in the northwest, injured 10 and imprisoned another 194.
Human-rights groups said there had been a dramatic increase in shootings.
Srey Naren, the provincial co-ordinator for rights group Adhoc, said 11 loggers had been shot dead during the corresponding period in 2011, and that increasing poverty had helped brokers persuade more people to risk their lives.
But Thailand’s ambassador to Cambodia, Viraphand Vacharathit, denied the number of killings was on the rise.
“The shootings have only happened when they use weapons against us. It is self-defence,” he said, adding he had not been informed of last Wednesday’s shooting.
9 comments:
They all fucking coward soldiers, using machine guns on an unarmed and innocent people. What a shameful act on these Thai soldiers on an international level.
No code of conduct for these stupid soldiers.
We will have our chance someday.
Where are Khmer soldiers? Oh I forgot, they are busy oppressing and evicted poor Khmer people at Borei Keila and Bung Kok etc...
We are so fucked up
I don't believe the Thai accused Khmer loggers carry weapon. If those loggers really carry weapon , do you think that the Thai soldiers can easily shot and kill them? Try to tell that to the kids, what a ridiculous accusation by the stupid Thai.
Siam still angry because Khmer soldiers killed hundreds of their troops attacking Preah Vihear, Ta Moan, Ta Krabey. They are looking for revenge on unarmed Khmers because these Siam soldier are cowards.
Khmer soldiers themselves are doing illegal logging inside Cambodia and inside Thailand and that's why they dont protect Khmer civilians. Hun Sen gave strict orders for Khmer Army not to shoot at Thai troops even if they are killing Khmer civilians. Cambodia doesn't want to start a war over her peoples killing. We can't afford another all out war with these thieves neighbors. Remember, what's goes around comes around, KARMA. One day Khmers will be killing these cowardice Siam.
Agree, but these Khmers will still be deads even if they are carrying weapons. Remember you enter somebody backyard and the owners will have the advantages. These coward Siam ambushed these Khmers.
The top brass in Khmer military must learn from Thai soldiers to protect Cambodia
natural resources . Illegal loggers , rosewood smugglers are destroying Khmer
forests with impunity . It's ashamed that Khmer soldiers shot forest protectors and
let the law breakers enrich themselves at the expense of poor Khmers lives .
ខ្មែរ-អ្នកស្រែ
YUON kill Khmer environment protectors in Cambodia , while Thai soldiers kill Khmer illegal loggers in Thailand . It's win win policy !
38 Cambodian military age life have been taken out. It meant that 38 less cambodian men to figth the Thai.
Lives could have saved if they did not shoot to kill.
Hey we are been killed left and right by these thieves neighbors. They killed us directly or by starvation through povert, disease, AIDS, by using CPP hands to killed Khmers. ESCAPE INTO THE WATER CROCODILES WAIT ( YOUN) and ESCAPE INTO BY LAND TIGERS WAITING (SIAM). Cambodian don't have much chances because most our leaders are corrupted and traitors.
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