Cambodia protests 'armed provocation'

THE AGE
www.theage.com.au
October 4, 2008

Cambodia's foreign ministry has formally protested to Thailand over a border skirmish which left at least three soldiers injured, warning that Thai troops risked "full scale armed hostility".

One Cambodian soldier and two Thai troops were wounded when units briefly clashed near an ancient temple along their disputed border. They have swapped accusations of trespass and firing first.

"The Royal Government of Cambodia strongly protests against this deplorable and intentional armed provocation by Thai soldiers," said Cambodia's foreign ministry in a letter to the Thai embassy obtained by AFP.

The letter said Cambodian troops had only returned fire in self defence and went on to warn that "armed provocation by Thai soldiers could lead to very grave consequences, including full scale armed hostility".

Thailand's foreign ministry earlier blamed its neighbour and said the three-minute exchange of gunfire came after Cambodian troops had crossed into Thai territory.

Cambodian officials said the area was calm and an investigative committee was inspecting the area to determine how the incident occurred since troops on both sides had been ordered not to fire.

The skirmish comes as the countries attempt progress in talks to resolve the decades-long border dispute.

Tensions flared in July after the ancient Khmer temple of Preah Vihear was awarded world heritage status by the UN cultural body UNESCO, angering nationalists in Thailand who still claim ownership of the site.

Those tensions turned into a military standoff, in which up to 1,000 Cambodian and Thai troops faced off for six weeks.

Both sides agreed to pull back in mid-August, leaving just a few dozen soldiers stationed near the temple.