Earth TimesSun, 05 Apr 2009 07:35:57 GMT
Author : DPA
Bangkok - Two short, sharp border clashes with Cambodia that left at least two Thai soldiers dead last week will not sour essentially good relations between the two neighbours, Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva Sunday. Thai and Cambodia troops engaged in at least two brisk shootouts Friday that killed two Thai soldiers and wounded a dozen more on disputed ground near the 11th-century Preah Vihear temple, located 350 kilometres north-east of Bangkok.
Abhisit said he would discuss the dispute with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen at this week's Association of South-East Asian Nations summit hosted by Thailand.
"This was not a war, it was a misunderstanding," he told a television audience.
His remarks echoed the conciliatory remarks made by Hun Sen yesterday when he called for an easing of tensions. Cambodia has not reported any casualties.
The two neighbours have a long history of quarreling over the ownership of part of the land surrounding the temple ruins on their joint border, often reflecting nationalist and political tensions within their own countries.
The dispute escalated in July when clashes left two Cambodian soldiers dead and several Thais wounded shortly after the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization named the ancient Hindu temple a World Heritage Site despite Thai objections.
The International Court of Justice granted ownership of the temple site to Cambodia in 1962. But land adjacent to the temple compound, including its main entrance on the Thai side, is claimed by both countries.
The Thai Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya was forced to apologize for allegedly calling the Cambodian prime minister a "gangster" in a parliamentary debate. Kasit claimed that characterization was a mistaken translation from his Thai phrasing, which he said meant "lion-hearted."
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