RTA says Cambodian army called to apologise over Chong An Ma incident

Cambodian army apologises after soldier disrupts ASEAN observer visit to Chong An Ma, claiming intoxication as the cause of the incident.

Royal Thai Army spokesman Maj Gen Winthai Suvaree said on Wednesday that he had received a phone call from a Cambodian army officer, apologising for the rogue behaviour of a Cambodian soldier who tried to disrupt a visit by ASEAN observers.

Winthai explained that the Cambodian officer told him the soldier who caused the disruption during the ASEAN Interim Observation Team’s visit to the Chong An Ma area in Ubon Ratchathani on Tuesday had been drunk.

On Tuesday, when the Thai side led the ASEAN IOT team to observe the Chong An Ma area, the Cambodian soldier confronted the team, complaining that he had not been informed in advance about the visit.

 

Winthai said both countries had previously agreed to patrol the area unarmed.

He added that when Cambodia had led foreign observers to visit the area earlier, Thai soldiers had been present quietly and did not disrupt the visit, merely complaining politely that they should have been informed in advance.

Winthai concluded that since the Cambodian soldier was aggressive and very impolite, Thai soldiers had to remove him from the area during the ASEAN IOT team’s visit.

(2025/08/20-00:00)