Arya News - A former Thai paramilitary officer, who identified as a “tourist”, who assaulted a Cambodian soldier on duty at the historic Ta Moan Thom temple has been apprehended and handed over to the police for legal proceedings, according to a statement by the Thai Army on Sunday, as reported by the Thailand’s The Reporters.
PHNOM PENH – A former Thai paramilitary officer, who identified as a “tourist”, who assaulted a Cambodian soldier on duty at the historic Ta Moan Thom temple has been apprehended and handed over to the police for legal proceedings, according to a statement by the Thai Army on Sunday, as reported by the Thailand’s The Reporters.
The incident, which occurred around 10.20am. at Ta Moan Thom temple prompted swift action from Thai authorities.
A Thai media outlet reported that the suspect, identified as Som Mai, struck a uniformed Cambodian soldier who was on duty at the site before fleeing the scene.
The media said Major General Winthai Suvari, the army’s spokesman, confirmed that the suspect is a former member of the Thahan Phran, Thailand’s Volunteer Defense Corps, often deployed in sensitive border areas.
He said the incident was especially seriously due to its location at a jointly sensitive and symbolically important border heritage site.
Winthai was quoted saying that “Thai military officials immediately coordinated with their Cambodian counterparts to prevent the incident from escalating or negatively affecting the good relations between the two sides”.
Following the assault, Thai authorities launched a rapid search and were able to apprehend the suspect. He was then transferred to the jurisdictional police station for formal legal proceedings.
Ta Moan Thom temple is on the Cambodian-Thai border, in the Banteay Ampil district of Oddar Meanchey province.