Suranaree Task Force of the Royal Thai Army has filed a protest letter to Cambodia's government over its soldiers singing their national anthem at the Prasat Ta Muen Thom temple in Surin province.
The incident occurred last Thursday when a group of Cambodian soldiers ascended to the temple area, located on the border town in Phanom Dong Rak district in the Northeastern province, and began singing their national anthem.
This prompted a confrontation with Thai soldiers who were stationed there. A video of the exchange, filmed by a Thai, surfaced online, showing a heated verbal exchange between the two sides.
In the video, a Cambodian commander, wearing a long-sleeved white shirt, can be heard warning the Thai soldiers in both Thai and Khmer.
"Thai soldiers are not allowed to set foot on this land. If you want to shoot, go ahead," he said. A Thai soldier responded, "I'm here because I received orders from my commander." The Cambodian officer then raised his voice, saying, "I will order my soldiers to do the same." After the exchange, the Cambodian soldiers returned to their side of the border.
The reason behind the Cambodian soldiers' presence at the temple and their singing of the national anthem remains unclear.
Lt Gen Boonsin Padklang, 2nd Army Region commander, said the Prasat Ta Muen Thom area belongs to Thailand but overlaps another area where boundary delimitation has not been completed. He said Thailand allows Cambodians to visit the temple but prohibits any political expressions.
Lt Gen Boonsin stated that singing the Cambodian national anthem was inappropriate as it could cause problems if a recording of it is used as evidence in future disputes.