Saturday, 16 August 2008

Troops being withdrawn

BangkokPost.com, agencies

Tension along the Thai-Cambodian border began to ease on Saturday as troops from the two country began to pull out from disputed area around Preah Vihear temple, Cambodian officials said.

Hang Soth, director-general of the Preah Vihear National Authority, a government agency managing the historic site, said that troops started putting away from the temple on Friday and the move was continuing on Saturday.

The pullout is expected to be done before sunset on Saturday, according to Cambodian Lieutenant-Colonel Sar Thavy.

The move ends a month-long standoff around an ancient border temple, where about 1,000 troops from Thailand and Cambodia have been facing off as the two countries claim the ownership of the temple.

Under the terms of an agreement reached between army officers on Wednesday, each side will leave just 10 soldiers at a Buddhist pagoda on the disputed territory, about 5 square kilometres of scrub that sits on a jungle-clad escarpment dividing the two countries.

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