Updated: Two villagers killed in Cambodia’s rocket attack

The chief of Karb Choeng district said two villagers were killed after Cambodian troops fired 122mm BM-21 rockets at a village in his district on Thursday morning.

Sutthiroj Charoenthanasak, chief of Karb Choeng district, said the two villagers died while being transported to a hospital.

The two other injured villagers were a man around 40-50 years old and a 12-year-old boy.

Sutthiroj provided the updated casualty figures after the Royal Thai Army and the government spokesman reported different numbers following the rocket attack on Ban Jorok village in Tambon Dan.

The RTA earlier stated the attack injured three villagers, including a boy.
Later on Thursday, government spokesman Jirayu Houngsub said one villager was killed and three others were injured, including a five-year-old boy, in the rocket attack.

The spokesman said the clashes along the Thai-Cambodian border erupted after Cambodian troops opened fire first.

He added that Cambodian troops used drones to provoke Thai soldiers. After the provocation failed, they used artillery and rockets to bombard Thai territory, including firing the BM-21 rockets at the village.

Jirayu also stated that the attacks injured seven Thai soldiers.

Villagers along the Cambodian border have been evacuated to safe shelters, he added.

Jirayu mentioned that the special centre managing the border situation had authorised troops to use their own judgment to retaliate against Cambodia, and all border crossings along the Cambodian border were closed at 8 am.

The spokesman also said the Foreign Ministry had been assigned to protest to Cambodia through all relevant international organisations.