Army officials are denying a published report that Thai soldiers admitted to burning alive two Cambodian men illegally trying to smuggle a motorbike across the border in Sa Kaeo.
"We beg the Cambodian side not to speak like this. Making such comments (causes) damage because (Thai-Cambodian) relations, at present, are going well," said a highly placed source in the Burapha Force, which supervises the Thai-Cambodian border. "Use reason and talk. Don't make allegation and then give such information."
The army source was responding to a Monday report by The Phnom Penh Post that military officials in Cambodia's Battambang province, opposite Sa Kaeo, said that Thai officials had admitted to them that soldiers, on Jan 7, burned alive two Khmer men inside car tyres after they illegally crossed the border to evade taxes on a smuggled motorbike.
Anh Kamal, deputy military commander in Battambang's Sampov Loun district, told the paper four Cambodian men discovered dragging a motorbike across the border and Thai soldiers fired 10 shots at them, missing completely. More soldiers then were called in and they managed to capture two of the Cambodians. That's when they were killed, he said.
The Post said Cambodian military and police have been denied access to the site of the killings. Locals reportedly have posted mobile-phone photos of the kill sites online.
The Burapha Force source - based opposite Cambodia's Banteay Meanchey and Battambang provinces - said Thai army soldiers have discussed the issue with their Cambodian counterparts and made it clear that Thai troops had nothing to do the deaths. Officials in the area suggested the case should jointly investigated.
The newspaper quoted a spokesman for Cambodia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs saying Thai Foreign Affairs Ministry officials were, in fact, cooperating with the Cambodian embassy in Bangkok to investigate the incident.
However, the Burapha Force representative said he was very surprised Monday to find Cambodian forces had told that country's media that Thailand had admitted to the killings, as both sides had already discussed it.
The Phnom Penh Post claimed the charred remains of the two dead men were sent to Bangkok for forensic examination and to determine the nationality of the victims. It quoted Moung Rithiya, director of the information and research unit of Battambang province, saying Thai officials asked for 10 days to identify the dead men's nationalities.
A man claiming to be the brother of two recently missing Cambodians said he believes his sibling is among the dead.