Three Cambodian soldiers were ambushed and fired upon on Cambodian land near the border by Lao soldiers who mistook them for robbers, an RCAF general said Monday.
No one was injured, Military Region 1 Deputy Commander Nuon Pak said.
A source at RCAF Infantry Headquarters confirmed the incident had been reported. Nguon Koeun, deputy police chief of Stung Treng province, also confirmed the incident, but could offer no details.
About 11 Lao soldiers fired more than 70 shots at the three Cambodians in the O Ta Ngao area of Stung Treng province on Feb 16, Nuon Pak said. The Cambodians recognized the Laotians as soldiers and fled rather than retaliating, he said.
On Friday, nine Lao commanders came to Cambodia to discuss the matter.
“They admitted what their soldiers did and said it was [because of] confusion—the Laotian soldiers thought [the Cambodians] were robbers,” Nuon Pak said.
The area is full of bandits who steal cattle and buffaloes, the general added.
The Laotians claimed their soldiers hadn’t been informed of the presence of the Cambodian patrol.
Nuon Pak said the Laotian military administration was told of the patrol, but the soldiers at the border might not have been told.
The RCAF officials at the meeting accepted the Laotians’ explanation of the incident, but asked them not to shoot so recklessly in the future.
Laotian Ambassador Chanpheng Sahaphon said he didn’t know anything about the incident and was still waiting to hear from his government regarding the matter.
(Additional reporting by Molly Ball)
