Cambodian PM Hun Sen, left, shakes hands with Thai deputy PM Sompong Amornvivat on Monday. CNN.com/asia
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) -- Thai troops retreated from a disputed border on Tuesday, according to a Cambodian army official, after Cambodia's prime minister issued a noon ultimatum to Thailand.
Cambodian army commander Brig. Gen. Yim Pin says all Thai troops have retreated and are about half a mile (1 kilometer) from the contested territory.
Yim Pin told the Associated Press that the "tense situation has now eased."
Prime Minister Hun Sen's warning to withdraw troops from a disputed border area or face a "life-and-death battle zone "came amid rising tensions over a stretch of border near the 11th century Preah Vihear temple. It has been a source of dispute between the two countries for decades.
Hun Sen accused Thai troops of advancing on a border area called Eagle Field near the temple in an attempt to occupy Cambodian land.
"They must withdraw," Hun Sen said. "I have set the timeline for them to withdraw by 12 o'clock." Noon in Cambodia is 0500 GMT.
"At any cost, we will not allow Thai troops to invade this area. I would like to be clear about this," Hun Sen said, adding that he had ordered Cambodia's army chiefs to "take full responsibility over this area. It is a life-and-death battle zone."
Thailand's Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat said he had ordered the army to "take care of the situation so there is no violence."
"We do not object to redeployment so there is no confrontation," Somchai told reporters as he headed into Tuesday's weekly Cabinet meeting. However, he added that he was not aware of Hun Sen's deadline, and it was unclear whether any Thai troop withdrawal would be completed ahead of the deadline.
Both countries have long claimed Preah Vihear, but the World Court awarded it to Cambodia in 1962. However, sovereignty over some of the land around the temple has not been clearly resolved.
Tensions flared July 15 after UNESCO, the U.N. agency, approved Cambodia's bid to have the Preah Vihear temple named a World Heritage Site. Both sides deployed troops to the border.
A brief gunfight broke out between the two sides early this month, with one Cambodian and two Thai soldiers wounded. Both sides claimed the other fired first and blamed each other for being on the wrong side of the border. Three days later, two Thai soldiers lost legs when they stepped on land mines in the area.
Hun Sen met Monday with Thai Foreign Minister Sompong Amornvivat, but the meeting appeared to end without a resolution.
He said Monday, "We told them that if they do not stop (trespassing), armed clashes will break out."
There has been a limited troop withdrawal from the area since, and talks have been held several times to resolve the conflicting claims, but without much progress.
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) -- Thai troops retreated from a disputed border on Tuesday, according to a Cambodian army official, after Cambodia's prime minister issued a noon ultimatum to Thailand.
Cambodian army commander Brig. Gen. Yim Pin says all Thai troops have retreated and are about half a mile (1 kilometer) from the contested territory.
Yim Pin told the Associated Press that the "tense situation has now eased."
Prime Minister Hun Sen's warning to withdraw troops from a disputed border area or face a "life-and-death battle zone "came amid rising tensions over a stretch of border near the 11th century Preah Vihear temple. It has been a source of dispute between the two countries for decades.
Hun Sen accused Thai troops of advancing on a border area called Eagle Field near the temple in an attempt to occupy Cambodian land.
"They must withdraw," Hun Sen said. "I have set the timeline for them to withdraw by 12 o'clock." Noon in Cambodia is 0500 GMT.
"At any cost, we will not allow Thai troops to invade this area. I would like to be clear about this," Hun Sen said, adding that he had ordered Cambodia's army chiefs to "take full responsibility over this area. It is a life-and-death battle zone."
Thailand's Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat said he had ordered the army to "take care of the situation so there is no violence."
"We do not object to redeployment so there is no confrontation," Somchai told reporters as he headed into Tuesday's weekly Cabinet meeting. However, he added that he was not aware of Hun Sen's deadline, and it was unclear whether any Thai troop withdrawal would be completed ahead of the deadline.
Both countries have long claimed Preah Vihear, but the World Court awarded it to Cambodia in 1962. However, sovereignty over some of the land around the temple has not been clearly resolved.
Tensions flared July 15 after UNESCO, the U.N. agency, approved Cambodia's bid to have the Preah Vihear temple named a World Heritage Site. Both sides deployed troops to the border.
A brief gunfight broke out between the two sides early this month, with one Cambodian and two Thai soldiers wounded. Both sides claimed the other fired first and blamed each other for being on the wrong side of the border. Three days later, two Thai soldiers lost legs when they stepped on land mines in the area.
Hun Sen met Monday with Thai Foreign Minister Sompong Amornvivat, but the meeting appeared to end without a resolution.
He said Monday, "We told them that if they do not stop (trespassing), armed clashes will break out."
There has been a limited troop withdrawal from the area since, and talks have been held several times to resolve the conflicting claims, but without much progress.
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