Cambodian civil aviation authority bans flights from flying across fighting zones with Thailand

Phnom Penh, July 26 (IANS) Cambodia's State Secretariat of Civil Aviation (SSCA) on Saturday prohibited all flights from flying across fighting zones with Thailand, a spokesperson said.

Sinn Chanserey Vutha, who is also the SSCA's secretary of state, said all airlines had been informed to avoid flying over conflict zones and the scope of prohibition had been expanded to Poipet City, Pailin province and part of Siem Reap province.

"All flights have been instructed to avoid flying over these airspaces, and the planes must not fly lower than 1,200 meters above sea level," he said in an audio message released to the media.

Vutha said the measures were to ensure flight operations and the safety of the planes and passengers.

He added that as of 10 a.m. local time on July 26, international flights from Phnom Penh to Bangkok and Siem Reap to Bangkok are operating as usual, as planes altered their routes to avoid prohibited airspaces.

Clashes continued at several areas along the Thailand-Cambodia border, with Cambodian forces conducting sustained bombardment utilising heavy weapons, field artillery, and BM-21 rocket systems, said reports.

Thai forces responded with appropriate supporting fire in accordance with the tactical situation and issued advisories to local civilians to avoid entering areas of clashes.

Early on Friday, the sound of artillery fire was heard again near the border area, the National Broadcasting Services of Thailand reported, citing a local official in Surin province.

According to the deputy spokesperson of the Thai Ministry of Public Health, 14 Thai people were killed and 46 others injured in military clashes near the Thailand-Cambodia border as of 9:00 p.m. local time on Thursday.

Cambodia's Oddar Meanchey deputy governor, Met Meas Pheakdey, told Xinhua over the telephone that one villager was killed and five others were wounded on Thursday when the Thai side fired artillery shells into Cambodian territory.

--IANS

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