Laos denies reports on border clash with Cambodian forces

Vientiane: A source from the Lao People s Army told Xinhua on Saturday that reports of an exchange of fire between Lao forces and Cambodian armed pers...

Vientiane: A source from the Lao People's Army told Xinhua on Saturday that reports of an exchange of fire between Lao forces and Cambodian armed personnel were untrue.

The Lao People's Army News, the official publication of the Lao military, confirmed that no official reports had been received regarding the incident.

Earlier in the day, some media outlets reported that the Lao military had issued an emergency notice claiming a fierce exchange of fire between Lao forces and Cambodian armed personnel who had allegedly crossed the border illegally. According to these reports, 10 individuals were arrested and weapons were seized, with a screenshot of the purported statement attached.

However, upon verification, the screenshot was found to be from a statement issued on Friday by the Military Special Operations Force of Champasak province of Laos.

The statement detailed that during clashes between Thai and Cambodian forces from July 24 to July 25, 10 artillery shells had landed on Laotian territory. The statement also noted that it was unclear which side had fired the shells.