Cambodian soldiers are seen close to the Cambodia-Thailand border near the contested Preah Vihear temple
via Khmer NZ News Media
PHNOM PENH — Cambodian and Thai troops exchanged fire briefly on their border Tuesday, the latest in a series of clashes between the neighbours, a Cambodian official said.
The shoot-out on Cambodia's northwestern border lasted for about six minutes, but there were no immediate reports of casualties, Cambodian defence ministry spokesman Chhum Socheat told AFP.
The incident occurred as soldiers from both sides were patrolling the border area, some 40 kilometres (25 miles) away from Cambodia's ancient Preah Vihear temple, which is at the centre of a land dispute between the two nations.
"It was a misunderstanding because the area is a place where illegal smuggling of timber usually takes place," the spokesman said, adding that the exchange of fire ended after the two sides contacted each other.
Cambodia and Thailand have been locked in nationalist tensions and a troop standoff at their disputed border since July 2008, when the Preah Vihear temple was granted UNESCO World Heritage status.
Relations deteriorated further in November after Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen appointed fugitive former Thai premier Thaksin Shinawatra as his economic adviser and refused to extradite him to Thailand.
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