By Saadet Gokce
ISTANBUL (AA) - Cambodia on Wednesday reported that around 10 of its citizens were injured during a clash with the Thai soldiers, who were trying to install barbed wire fences along the border, according to the daily Khmer Times.
Cambodian local officials said that civilians had gathered to protest the Thai soldiers’ actions, which they viewed as an encroachment on Cambodian territory.
Oum Reatrey, Cambodia's Banteay Meanchey governor, said that the Thai forces fired tear gas and “live rounds.”
He said that the injured included villagers, monks, and members of the Cambodian security forces.
“Some of our people suffered serious wounds, while others were only slightly hurt. They are being treated,” the governor said.
According to the public broadcaster Thai PBS, Thai forces used tear gas and rubber bullets against approximately 200 Cambodian civilians who were protesting the erection of barbed-wire barriers in the border area.
Two Thai soldiers were also injured during the skirmish and taken to hospital, it said, adding that an unspecified number of Cambodians were also injured.
On Tuesday, the Royal Thai Army said Cambodian civilians were being used for provocation and that the barbed wire laid by Thai forces was inside Thai territory, according to the Thai Enquirer.
The two Southeast Asian neighbors have seen ties spiral down due to border dispute which escalated into armed conflict in July, leaving dozens dead and injured. A ceasefire was later agreed which halted cross-border firing.