The Ministry of National Defence has issued a timeline of Thai military strikes on Cambodia today, December 8, starting from around 5am. Thai forces carried out attacks in the areas of An Seh, Ta Mone Thom Temple, the Preah Vihear Temple region, 5 Makara, Chamkar Chek, Mum Bei, Phnom Kmoch, Koul 8, Ta Krabei Temple and Prasat Knar. The attacks followed shots fired by Thai troops yesterday afternoon at 2:15pm.
Below is the December 8 timeline supplied by the defence ministry
- 04:00: Two heavy Thai military trucks transport troops from Phnom Rung to the front of the An Seh area.
- 05:04: The Thai military fired from the west of An Seh Market at Cambodian forces using small arms, firing 20-25 rounds.
- 05:19: The Thai military fired from the west of An Seh Market at Cambodian forces using small arms, firing 30-38 rounds.
- 05:25: The Thai military fired from the west of An Seh Market at Cambodian forces using small arms and machine guns, firing 100 to 120 rounds.
- 05:40: The firing paused. Cambodian forces continued to monitor the situation along the Cambodia-Thailand border and remained on high alert.
- 06:13: The Thai military began firing again, using MT60 weapons, firing 3 rounds.
- 06:22: The Thai military fired four mortar rounds and machine guns into the defensive lines of Cambodian forces in the An Seh area.
- 06:51: The Thai military began attacking the Ta Moan Temple area, using tanks.
- 07:40: The Thai military continued firing at all targets: Mum Bei, An Seh, Phnom Kmoch, Koul 8, Preah Vihear Temple, Ta Moan Temple, Ta Krabey Temple and Prasat Knar, using 155mm artillery, tanks and mortars in the An Seh area.
- 08:10: The Thai military fired a large amount of toxic smoke [tear gas/chemical rounds] into positions at the Phnom Kmoch area.
- 08:14: The Thai military fired additional toxic smoke at the Preah Vihear Temple area.
- 08:41: The Thai military continued shooting and shelling the locations of Damnak Sdech, Banloh Thmor Doun, and Ta Moan Temple. Currently, Thai military aircraft are flying along the border.
- 09:05: The Thai military attacked Cambodian forces using F-16 fighter jets in Sra’em commune, Choam Ksant district, Preah Vihear province.
- 09:30: The Thai military continued to attack Cambodian forces further at Prasat Knar and O’Smach; they used 12.7mm guns and tanks to add heavy fire.
- 10:00: The military continued to attack Cambodian forces with mortars, artillery and tanks, with particularly heavy barrages in the An Seh area and the direction of Preah Vihear Temple.
- As of 11:00: The Thai military continued to fire upon troops and Cambodian civilian locations.
Ministry spokesperson Maly Socheata said Cambodian forces were continuing to monitor the development of the situation along the Cambodia-Thailand border and remained on high alert.
She noted that the firing was the culmination of provocative actions conducted by the Thais for many days. With the intention to incite, the Thai side has released a series of information on both official and unofficial networks containing fake news, accusations and slander against Cambodia. According to her, this is intended to mislead national and international public opinion and serve as a pretext to reignite military tensions with Cambodia.
“Furthermore, Thai shelling has struck the residential villages of citizens in Oddar Meanchey and Preah Vihear provinces, causing injuries to a number of civilians and burning down many innocent citizens’ homes.
“This has forced people — young, old, male and female — to evacuate to temporary safety. In this regard, the authorities of Preah Vihear and Oddar Meanchey provinces have helped coordinate and assist citizens in fleeing from dangerous zones,” said Socheata.
She reiterated that Cambodia did not retaliate, out of respect for the implementation of the ceasefire and the joint statement on the peace agreement between Cambodia and Thailand.
