Thailand's legal action against Cambodia baseless, politically motivated: Cambodian spokesperson

Phnom Penh, Aug 6 (IANS) Thailand's legal action against Cambodia for using military forces and weapons to violate its sovereignty is baseless and politically motivated and lacks an incredible basis, a Cambodian Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Wednesday.

Cambodian Foreign Ministry's Secretary of State and Spokesperson Chum Sounry said this legal measure is entirely baseless and represents a deliberate attempt to divert both domestic and international public attention from Thailand's hostile policy against Cambodia, Xinhua news agency reported.

"The accusations forming the basis of legal action are unfounded, politically motivated, and lack incredible basis," he said in a press briefing.

Sounry said Cambodia strongly rejects these claims and reaffirms that the country did not start hostilities.

Cambodia remains committed to peace, the spokesperson said, adding that despite continued provocation, Cambodia remains fully committed to the ceasefire agreement.

"Cambodia urges Thailand to halt its disinformation campaign and/or hostile actions and return to constructive dialogue in the spirit of peaceful co-existence and ASEAN solidarity," he said.

The reaction came after Thai acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai on Tuesday ordered relevant departments to draft legal documents to initiate criminal and civil lawsuits domestically and internationally against Cambodia.

He accused Cambodia of using military forces and weapons to violate Thailand's sovereignty, resulting in significant loss of life and property among Thai civilians and military personnel.

On August 4, Thai and Cambodian officials arrived in Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia, for the General Border Committee meeting, as part of efforts to resolve the conflict between the two countries.

The meeting was scheduled to be held on August 7 in Malaysia, with the country being selected as a neutral venue, the Malaysian Armed Forces said in a statement.

The meeting aims to resolve the border dispute between the two countries, as part of the implementation of the ceasefire agreement reached in Malaysia on July 28, the statement added.

Armed clashes broke out between soldiers of Cambodia and Thailand along their disputed border on July 24. The two ASEAN member states agreed to a ceasefire in the afternoon of July 28, taking effect at midnight of the same day.

--IANS

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