Tensions simmer at Thailand-Cambodia border despite ceasefire

FRANCE 24 English

Visit our website: http://www.france24.com  Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FRANCE24.English  Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/France24_en

Transcript

00:00At the frontier between Thailand and Cambodia, Thai soldiers are on high alert.

00:07Cambodia has reportedly doubled its troops along the border.

00:11The soldiers have been here for three or four months.

00:15I came to encourage them.

00:18Do you have a message for Donald Trump?

00:22No, that's a matter for the government. I can't speak on that.

00:27A smile that barely hides the tension.

00:30On the ground, the July 28th ceasefire has been violated several times,

00:35with gunfire or incursions reported from both sides.

00:39Behind the soldiers and barbed wire, Cambodia lies around one kilometre away.

00:44In the disputed zones along the border, hundreds of Cambodian households have been ordered to leave.

00:49But if that doesn't happen, the Thai military may move in to clear the area,

00:53and that could reignite the conflict.

00:56Here stands the most important border post between the two countries.

01:00Today, it's a ghost town.

01:02Most of the merchants were Cambodian. They've now fled.

01:06What people fear most, police arrests.

01:09One shopkeeper, one of the few remaining Thais, is desperate.

01:14Back then, the streets were full of cars. Every shop was open. It was never this quiet.

01:20Now, it's so silent, you can hear the flies buzzing.

01:23For the leaders, peace just means the absence of war. That's their definition.

01:27But real peace is when we can trade freely. That's true peace.

01:33Under pressure from Washington, Bangkok may eventually give in and agree to a deal.

01:38But on the ground, it's still the Thai army calling the shots.

01:42With three times as many soldiers and a military budget ten times larger than Cambodia's.

01:48I'm talking to a lot of passengers.

01:52That's exactly what I'm trying to do when they're at.

01:53That's a tough time.

01:58So right now, my husband has got a risk for all the people of this country.

02:01I'm trying to respect that.

Category

Transcript

Be the first to comment

Recommended