Vientiane/Phnom Penh, July 26, 2025 – The Lao People's Army has denied reports of a clash with Cambodian armed personnel, according to a source within the Lao military, Xinhua News Agency reported on Saturday.

The Lao People's Army News, the official publication of the Lao military, confirmed to Xinhua that it had received no official reports regarding the alleged incident. Initial reports circulating in some media outlets claimed that the Lao military issued an emergency notice, asserting a firefight had occurred between Lao forces and Cambodian personnel who allegedly illegally crossed the border, resulting in arrests and weapons seizures.

However, Xinhua verified that a screenshot associated with these reports was actually from a statement released on Friday by the Military Special Operations Force of Champasak province of Laos. That statement confirmed that during clashes between Thai and Cambodian forces from July 24 to July 25, 10 artillery shells landed on Laotian territory. It also noted that the source of the shells remained unclear.

Meanwhile, Cambodia has vehemently denied accusations originating from Thailand's Second Army Area, alleging that Cambodian forces were responsible for the shelling of Lao territory. At a press briefing, Lieutenant General Maly Socheata, Cambodian defense ministry's undersecretary of state and spokesperson, stated that "the Laotian authority has not accused or launched an investigation into this case yet, but the Thai side has accused Cambodia." She reiterated Cambodia's stance that its army "has launched counterattacks by focusing only on Thai military bases."

Socheata also refuted Thai media reports alleging that Cambodia had threatened to use long-range PHL03 missiles to strike Thailand.

Thailand's Second Army Region claimed on social media that the shells impacting Laos during the Thai-Cambodian border clashes came from Cambodian forces, expressing “deep regret for the damage to the houses and properties of Lao people.”

Multiple reports had circulated that 10 artillery shells landed in Laos during Saturday morning's clashes, damaging civilian residences.

The Cambodian Ministry of National Defense has released a statement, conveyed by LTG Maly Socheata, that it "categorically rejected accusations from Thailand that Cambodian forces deliberately launched projectiles into Laotian territory, labeling the claim 'false and malicious.'" The Ministry asserts Thailand is "fabricating lies to justify its unprovoked aggression against Cambodia and now seeking to manipulate international opinion.”

Source: https://english.news.cn/20250726/463202bb010d4ab6b914462ac3ec889c/c.html