KUALA LUMPUR, July 26 — Areas up to 40 kilometres inland from the Cambodian border in five Thai districts are at risk from rocket fire amid ongoing clashes between Thai and Cambodian forces, the Royal Thai Army said yesterday, according to a report by the Bangkok Post.
The Second Army Region was reported to have said that the affected areas include Phu Sing, Khun Han and Kantharalak districts in Si Sa Ket province, as well as Nam Yuen and Nam Khun districts in Ubon Ratchathani province.
These districts are within the range of Cambodia’s BM-21 multiple rocket launchers, which can strike targets up to 20km away, and the more powerful Type-90B of the PHL-81 system, which has a maximum range of 40km, the Bangkok Post reported.
According to the report, the army renewed calls for immediate evacuation of people living within range of these weapons for their safety.
So far, Thailand has relocated around 130,000 residents from border areas in Buri Ram, Surin, Si Sa Ket and Ubon Ratchathani provinces to temporary shelters.
The Second Army Region did not elaborate on why only five districts were singled out, even though Buri Ram and Surin — which also border Cambodia — have also experienced exchanges of gunfire and artillery in recent days.
According to the Bangkok Post, renewed fighting broke out before dawn yesterday at three border locations, including areas near Chong Bok in Ubon Ratchathani’s Nam Yuen district and Phu Makhua in Si Sa Ket’s Kantharalak district.
Kantharalak has been one of the hardest-hit districts in the conflict. On Thursday, a BM-21 rocket struck a PTT petrol station in Ban Phue, killing eight civilians and injuring 13 others, most of them inside a 7-Eleven convenience store on the premises.
The Second Army Region said troops and Border Patrol Police specialising in explosive ordnance disposal had safely collected debris from the blast, while rescue teams recovered the bodies of those trapped in the rubble.
Rocket threat from Cambodia puts five Thai border districts on alert
