Travel Alert: Cambodia: Troops fire at Bangkok Airways plane near disputed border!

[ukmatt]

BANGKOK, July 12, 2012 (AFP) - Cambodian troopsfired shots at a passenger aircraft flying near the country's disputed borderwith Thailand, believing it to be a spy plane, the Thai army said Thursday.

"The Cambodian military fired because there was a Thai passenger plane --Bangkok Airways -- which could not land at Siem Reap airport because of badweather," said deputy army spokesman Colonel Sirichan Ngathong.

"It was misunderstood by Cambodia to be spy plane," he said, addingthat no one was hurt in the incident near the northern Cambodian touristdestination of Siem Reap.

Cambodian military at the border -- the site of deadly territorial clashesbetween the neighbouring countries last year -- confirmed troops had openedfire at an aircraft.

"It was dark so we could not see what type of plane it was. But it wascircling many times and then our soldiers fired 18 shots from a machine gun,but it missed the plane because it was flying very high," Commander SengPhearin told AFP.

"I think a passenger plane would not fly around the border. We suspectedit was a spy plane, so we fired to defend our airspace," he said, addingthe aircraft had been around 10 kilometres (six miles) inside Cambodia.

He said the incident happened at 19:00 local time (1200GMT) on Wednesday,although the Thai authorities said it occurred Thursday morning.

AFP was unable to immediately contact Bangkok Airways.

Did this really happen?

[ATC Watcher]

Difficult to believe this story , especially the Siem Reap bit. Siem Reap has an (new) APP radar, and would know where its inbound aircraft are, and surely the Cambodian military have a feed from that radar so mis-identification is very unlikely. Holding due monsoon Cbs and rain very common right now in Siem reap , so nothing unusual. If true , there must be more to it.

[beebo]

REP's ATC leaves a lot to be desired at times. :confused:
I would say the military would have no idea about the plane.
It's interesting because the closest border point is over 60nm from the field, must've been some monster cells.
Nothing really surprises me here anymore.

[crippen]

surely the Cambodian military have a feed from that radar

No chance! The Military are a few men wandering about the area. Even shoot at there own sometimes.:}

[beebo]

Bangkok Post, Published: 13/07/2012 at 01:28 PM Confusion surrounds reports that Cambodian troops fired warning shots at a Thai commercial aircraft that had strayed off course yesterday while on its way to Cambodia's Siem Reap province.
Sa Kaeo province governor, Sanit Naksuksri, said from Phnom Penh yesterday that the plane, which had taken off from Suvarnabhumi airport, had flown off course near the Thai-Cambodian border in bad weather.
Poor visibility and unclear communications resulted in the soldiers mistaking it for a spy plane, he said.
They fired three warning shots at the plane which later landed safely at Siem Reap airport. The shots were reportedly fired at about 11am from soldiers stationed near the O'Neang special economic zone in Cambodia's Banteay Meanchey province, he added.
However Bangkok Airways has denied any of its aircraft were shot at.
Deputy Transport Minister Chatchart Sithipan said he had received an initial report from the airline, which said none of its planes had been attacked.
However, a Bangkok Airways flight bound for Cambodia had returned to Suvarnabhumi airport instead of landing at the Cambodian airport due to bad weather.
Meanwhile, border patrol police were deployed in the disputed area near the Preah Vihear temple yesterday.

Planes are being shot??? Planes are off-course??? Denials from each side. What next...???