British Journalist Says Thai Soldiers Fired Warning Shots at O’Smach Border

O’SMACH, May 13, 2026 (KPT) — A British independent journalist said Wednesday that Thai soldiers fired two warning shots while he was reporting in the O’Smach border area of Cambodia’s Oddar Meanchey province, which Cambodia has repeatedly described as illegally occupied by Thai forces.

Kevin Smith, who has lived in Cambodia for nearly a decade and gained attention through viral videos documenting life in frontline villages, said the incident occurred while he was filming conditions along the disputed border.

“Thai soldiers just fired at me in O’Smach, where they are illegally occupying Cambodian sovereign territory, for simply trying to speak the truth about the situation,” Smith told local media. “I was unarmed, unprotected and unprovocative. All I had was a camera.”

Smith, a field journalist focusing on humanitarian impacts, has recently traveled through villages affected by border tensions following clashes in July and December 2025. He said his reporting highlights how disputes have disrupted civilian lives.

Cambodian authorities accuse Thai troops of placing flags, containers and barbed wire in disputed areas including O’Smach, despite a ceasefire and joint statement signed in December 2025. Cambodia says such actions violate sovereignty and has continued lodging formal protests while reaffirming its commitment to peaceful resolution under international law.