Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said there is no plan for a ceasefire as the country reported the first civilian death from a Cambodian rocket attack after eight days of intense fighting.
“There was no plan nor agreement by the Thai government for a ceasefire with our enemy as of 10 p.m. last night,” Anutin wrote in a Facebook post on Sunday, after Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim urged the two sides to stop fighting by that time.
“Thailand stands firm with our determination to preserve, protect and defend [the] integrity of our land and our people at all cost,” Anutin wrote.
Advertisement
The premier’s comments came after the Thai army confirmed a villager had been killed by a BM-21 rocket launched by Cambodia into a civilian area in the Kantaralak district in Sisaket province.
The 63-year-old was the first Thai civilian to die directly because of Cambodian attacks. Nine others have perished due to existing medical conditions since the conflict restarted last week.
Advertisement
The Thai foreign ministry lodged a protest with the United Nations human rights agency on Sunday, accusing Cambodia of launching indiscriminate attacks, including on non-military targets.
A Thai soldier was killed by Cambodian shelling in the same district, bringing total fatalities on the Thai side to 16 soldiers, with 327 others wounded. Cambodia has not disclosed any military casualties.