Cambodia’s first lady attended funerals for soldiers killed in border clashes with Thailand, despite Phnom Penh not officially announcing any military deaths.
PHNOM PENH: The wife of Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Manet has attended funerals for soldiers killed in recent border clashes with Thailand.
A post on the premier’s official Facebook page said first lady Pich Chanmony paid tribute to soldiers who died “defending the territory from the invading Thai enemy”.
Photos showed her praying and comforting bereaved families in Takeo province on Wednesday.
“This is a great sorrow for the nation and the families,” the post stated.
Cambodia has not officially announced any military deaths since fighting reignited on December 7.
Official counts report 23 people killed in Thailand, mostly soldiers, and 21 civilians killed in Cambodia.
The defence ministry said fighting continued on Thursday morning, with Thai forces shelling parts of Banteay Meanchey province.
Both nations blame each other for instigating the clashes, which have spread along nearly their entire shared border.
Each claims to have acted in self-defence and accuses the other of attacking civilians.
Cambodian and Thai officials began four days of talks at a border checkpoint on Wednesday aimed at negotiating a ceasefire.
The conflict stems from a longstanding territorial dispute over the colonial-era demarcation of their 800-kilometre border.
