Surin: The overall situation in the border area of Surin Province has been a ceasefire since midnight as agreed, but in some areas, village leaders confirmed that they can still hear the sounds of fighting.

According to Thai News Agency, the news team visited Bak Dai Subdistrict, Phanom Dong Rak District, Surin Province, near the Ta Kwai Temple area, following yesterday’s heavy clashes that reached the midnight deadline for an unconditional ceasefire. This follows Thai Acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai’s meeting with Cambodian leaders in Malaysia yesterday afternoon.

However, a village headman confirmed that he still heard explosions and sporadic clashes between 2 and 3 a.m., which surprised him, as he had assumed there would be a ceasefire as agreed. Yesterday’s clashes were the heaviest, with shells damaging five locations in the village. The most severe damage was to a monks’ residence, which was hit by three mortar shells at approximately 11:30 a.m., damaging the roof of a storage building and
collapsing walls. Shrapnel marks were found on the walls, and the roofs of six monks’ quarters in the same area were damaged.

Mr. Ekanan Sri-in, the District Chief of Phanom Dong Rak, inspected the scene and stated that the impact of yesterday’s fighting is still pending reports of damage in various areas. He added that over 50 shells had landed in the area the previous day.

Phra Worachak Khemwiro, the head of the monks’ residence, said that the incident occurred while they were eating lunch. The first two bullets landed near the storage building, so he quickly ran down to the bomb shelter with another monk. After just 3-4 seconds, the bullets landed close to where they were eating lunch.

The Phanom Dong Rak District Chief reiterated that residents should remain at temporary shelters and await official orders before they can return to the area.