Thai, Cambodian troops clash near disputed temple
Fri, Apr 03, 2009
By Ek Madra
Reuters
PHNOM PENH, CAMBODIA - Thai and Cambodian soldiers exchanged rocket and
rifle fire on a disputed stretch of their border on Friday, killing one
Thai in the latest flare-up of an ancient feud over a 900-year-old Hindu
temple.
Both sides accused each other of firing first in two separate clashes
near the Preah Vihear temple, which is claimed by both Southeast Asian
nations and saw an armed stand-off last year.
One Thai soldier died from a rocket-propelled grenade fired by Cambodian
troops when fighting resumed after midday talks between the border
commanders failed.
Seven Thai soldiers were also wounded in the second battle, Wiboonsak
Neepan, commander of Thailand's Second Army, told Reuters.
In Phnom Penh, Cambodian Information Minister Khieu Kanharith said he
had received reports of two Cambodian soldiers killed in the initial
fighting this morning, but it was not confirmed.
Cambodian officials claimed two Thais died in the morning clash.
Thailand said no one was hurt then and it planned to lodge a formal
protest with the Cambodian government.
The latest fighting comes a day after a Thai soldier lost a leg when he
stepped on a land mine in an area claimed by Thailand.
A Thai patrol visited the blast site on Friday morning and encountered
20 Cambodian soldiers.
"After talks between the two sides failed, the Cambodian side started to
walk away and turned back to open fire at Thai troops with rifles and
RPG rockets, forcing the Thai side to fire back in self-defense,"
Thailand's Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Preah Vihear, or Khao Phra Viharn as it is known in Thailand, sits on an
escarpment that forms the natural border between the two countries and
has been a source of tension for generations.
The International Court of Justice awarded it to Cambodia in 1962, but
the ruling did not determine the ownership of 1.8 square miles (4.6 sq
km) of scrub next to the ruins, leaving considerable scope for
disagreement.
Tensions rose last month when 100 Thai troops crossed into a disputed
area near the temple and were stopped by Cambodian soldiers, but no
fighting occurred.
The border had been quiet for months while the Southeast Asian neighbors
sought to jointly demarcate the jungle-clad area where one Thai and
three Cambodian soldiers died in last October's exchange of rifle and
rocket fire.
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, a former Khmer Rouge commander, warned
this week that his soldiers would fight if Thai troops crossed the
disputed border again.
The site is 600 km (370 miles) east of Bangkok and only a decade ago was
controlled by remnants of Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge guerrilla army.
Few foreign visitors go there, although both countries have said they
would like to develop the area as a tourist destination.
The Cambodia-Thailand Joint Border Committee will meet again on Sunday
for three days of talks in the Cambodian resort town of Siem Reap to try
to find a solution to the row.
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