timesnow.tv
10/13/2008
Thailand's new foreign minister Sompong Amornvivat arrived in Cambodia on Monday (October 13) for talks with his Cambodian counterpart to defuse a row over a 900-year-old temple that has raised fears of a military clash between the southeast Asian neighbours.
The talks on the simmering border spat come after a brief clash between Thai and Cambodian soldiers deployed along the border area earlier in October.
The two sides have blamed each other for violating each other's territory where the Preah Vihear temple is located.
Tensions flared in July after the ancient temple became a UNESCO world heritage site, irking nationalists in Thailand who still claim ownership of the site. Troops were deployed from both sides and a standoff continued for nearly six weeks.
Talks between the two neighbours were postponed in August due to political turmoil in Bangkok. The new embattled Thai Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat was planning to attend Monday's meeting but as the political problems continue in Thailand, he also cancelled at the last minute.
The one-day meeting between the two foreign ministers made little headway in the dispute over the 1.8 square mile (4.6 square km) of scrubland near the temple.
"Now we have the confrontation between the two sides. The Thai side wanted to enter the area where mines exploded recently. They wanted to see the situation there but our soldiers stopped them from entering. Now I told the Foreign Minister and the general who came with him to order their troops not to enter. If they enter the Preah Lean Entry which I stated clearly to him is our toritory, there will be a war," said Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong.
The ancient Hindu temple sits on a jungle-clad escarpment that forms the natural boundary between the two countries. The International Court of Justice awarded the ruins to Cambodia in a 1962 ruling that has rankled many Thais ever since.
The Hague court did not rule on the disputed land next With troops and artillery building up on both sides of the border and brief clashes, Cambodia has threatened to take the spat to the United Nations Security Council.
Thailand wants all talks with its neighbour to remain strictly two-way. (Agency)
10/13/2008
Thailand's new foreign minister Sompong Amornvivat arrived in Cambodia on Monday (October 13) for talks with his Cambodian counterpart to defuse a row over a 900-year-old temple that has raised fears of a military clash between the southeast Asian neighbours.
The talks on the simmering border spat come after a brief clash between Thai and Cambodian soldiers deployed along the border area earlier in October.
The two sides have blamed each other for violating each other's territory where the Preah Vihear temple is located.
Tensions flared in July after the ancient temple became a UNESCO world heritage site, irking nationalists in Thailand who still claim ownership of the site. Troops were deployed from both sides and a standoff continued for nearly six weeks.
Talks between the two neighbours were postponed in August due to political turmoil in Bangkok. The new embattled Thai Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat was planning to attend Monday's meeting but as the political problems continue in Thailand, he also cancelled at the last minute.
The one-day meeting between the two foreign ministers made little headway in the dispute over the 1.8 square mile (4.6 square km) of scrubland near the temple.
"Now we have the confrontation between the two sides. The Thai side wanted to enter the area where mines exploded recently. They wanted to see the situation there but our soldiers stopped them from entering. Now I told the Foreign Minister and the general who came with him to order their troops not to enter. If they enter the Preah Lean Entry which I stated clearly to him is our toritory, there will be a war," said Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong.
The ancient Hindu temple sits on a jungle-clad escarpment that forms the natural boundary between the two countries. The International Court of Justice awarded the ruins to Cambodia in a 1962 ruling that has rankled many Thais ever since.
The Hague court did not rule on the disputed land next With troops and artillery building up on both sides of the border and brief clashes, Cambodia has threatened to take the spat to the United Nations Security Council.
Thailand wants all talks with its neighbour to remain strictly two-way. (Agency)
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