Ubon ratchathani: The Royal Thai Army has revealed that Cambodia’s recent actions in the Chong An Ma area, where various weapons were fired, were part of a pre-planned strategy.

According to Thai News Agency, the Army has stated that the incident was a deliberate act by Cambodia, which included provocations with weapons, the deployment of an Internet of Things (IOT) team to the area, and issuing a distorted statement accusing Thailand. This was characterized as a “situation-making” act by Cambodia.

Army spokesman Major General Winthai Suvari detailed the timeline of events, beginning with the detection of gunfire and machine guns from the Cambodian side at Hill 677 at 11:55 a.m. on September 27, 2015. This was followed by a sequence of firings, including grenade launchers and machine guns aimed at various hills within Thai sovereignty, prompting return fire from the Thai side.

By 1:00 p.m., Cambodia announced that an IOT delegation would enter the Chong An Ma area, followed by statements from Cambodian officials, including Lieutenant General Malee Socheata and Samdech Hun Sen, which sought to portray Thailand as the aggressor.

The Army spokesman noted that the sequence of events displayed “unnaturally coordinated and unnatural behavior,” suggesting premeditated actions designed to paint Thailand as the violator of a ceasefire agreement. This included creating false evidence and making distorted accusations against Thailand to the international community.

The spokesman further highlighted serious ceasefire violations by Cambodia, such as the illegal laying of anti-personnel mines, which contravene international conventions and humanitarian principles. The Thai Army has called for the Temporary Observer Team (IOT) to thoroughly investigate these violations, as current observations are seen as biased, supporting only the Cambodian narrative.