Thai soldiers on Wednesday opened fire on a group of Cambodians who had snuck across the border from Battambang province to log rosewood illegally, injuring one in the leg, according to a local official.
Troy Penghour, 24, was shot in the right leg when he and at least three fellow villagers from Samlot district attempted to flee from the soldiers, said Hing Ouch, the chief of Anlong Pork village in Ta Sanh commune.
Commune police chief Hem Sarom said Mr. Penghour was sent to a clinic in Battambang City for treatment and that the other three were reported missing.
“We don’t know how many days ago they snuck across the border into Thailand but we just heard they were injured and missing,” said Prak Than, a border police official at one of the checkpoints between Battambang and Thailand.
He said his officers had contacted their Thai counterparts in search of the three missing loggers.
According to local rights group Adhoc, Thai soldiers have shot dead 122 Cambodians who had snuck across the border to log rosewood since 2008.
