Cambodian men charged over attack on Thais in South Korea
Four Cambodian men were arrested today, December 26, and charged in South Korea after allegedly attacking two Thai nationals with glass bottles on the morning of December 7 in Yeongam county, South Jeolla province.
The assault took place on the morning of December 7 in the Samho-eup area of Yeongam county, South Jeolla province, when a group of four Cambodian men, all believed to be around 30 years old, allegedly attacked two Thai men using glass beer bottles. Both Thai victims sustained injuries.
According to the victims’ testimony to police, the attackers had approached and asked if they were Thai. The men launched the assault as soon as they confirmed their nationality, although the Cambodian suspects insist the Thais started the confrontation.
Following a police investigation, officers in Yeongam were able to identify and arrest all four suspects, who have since been formally indicted and remanded in custody. Prosecutors have charged all four men with group assault resulting in injury and have formally opposed their release on bail.
South Korean media linked the case to escalating border tensions between Thailand and Cambodia, citing the historical dispute over the two nations’ shared 817-kilometre border, an unresolved issue that has been going on for over a century.
Recent military clashes along parts of the frontier have reportedly lasted more than two weeks, with at least 41 people killed on both sides, including 22 Thais and 19 Cambodians.
The tensions sparked by the fighting appears to have spilled over into migrant communities living in South Korea, fuelling fears of violence among foreign nationals far from home.
In similar news, three Cambodian youths were arrested in Rayong after a video showing a youth group throwing an explosive and taunting Thai people went viral. The incident came to light when police traced a viral video showing more than 10 youths riding motorcycles on a public road, wielding long machetes and detonating a ping-pong bomb before shouting challenges directed at Thai people.
