In an unprecedented move, Cambodia has withdrawn its entire delegation from the Southeast Asian Games in Thailand, citing safety concerns amid renewed border clashes between the two neighbours.
The Cambodian team had attended the opening ceremony of the 33rd SEA Games in Bangkok on Tuesday, but the decision to pull out came a day later amid deadly fighting along the frontier.
The Games, which run until December 20, are being held in Bangkok and the Thai provinces of Chonburi and Songkhla.
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At least 10 people have been killed and more than 140,000 displaced in both countries since Monday, when Thailand launched air strikes on Cambodian territory. Both governments have traded blame for the violence.
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Thailand launches air strikes on Cambodia after soldier is killed
Thailand launches air strikes on Cambodia after soldier is killed
In a letter dated Wednesday to Southeast Asian Games Federation CEO Chaiyapak Siriwat, Cambodia’s National Olympic Committee (NOCC) Secretary General Vath Chamroeun confirmed the withdrawal of the 137-member delegation, which had been scheduled to compete in 12 sports.
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