The Straits Times
Oct 13, 2008
PHNOM PENH - CAMBODIA accused Thailand on Monday of trying to send troops across their disputed border, warning that such a provocation could eventually lead to 'large scale conflict'.
Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong said up to 500 Thai troops had tried to cross the border near an area where two Thai soldiers stepped on landmines earlier this month.
'Our troops at the border have asked the Thais not to encroach on our border,' he told reporters after talks with his Thai counterpart, Mr Sompong Amornvivat, in Phnom Penh.
'If so, there will be an armed clash. This could lead to a large-scale conflict,' he said.
Mr Sompong did not speak to reporters, but Thai officials in Bangkok denied there was any attempted incursion.
'Invasion? What invasion when the land is claimed by both sides?' Thai army spokesman Sunsern Kaewkumnerd said.
Bangkok and Phnom Penh have accused each other of unprovoked aggression since a border shooting incident on Oct 3 in which three soldiers were wounded.
After that clash, Cambodia warned Thailand that such 'armed provocation' could lead to conflict.
The standoff began in July and centres on 1.8 square miles (4.6 sq km) of scrub near an ancient Hindu temple that sits on a jungle-clad escarpment dividing the countries.
The two countries have swapped accusations of violating each other's territory in the dispute over land near at least three ancient temples along their border.
At least one Cambodian soldier and two Thai troops were wounded when units exchanged gunfire during a brief clash on October 3 near Preah Vihear temple.
Two other Thai soldiers were also seriously injured last week after stepping on a landmine near the ruins.
Talks to discuss withdrawing troops from around Preah Vihear were postponed late August amid political turmoil in Thailand.
Tensions flared in July after ancient Khmer temple Preah Vihear was awarded world heritage status by the United Nations cultural body Unesco, angering nationalists in Thailand who still claim ownership of the site.
Those tensions turned into a military confrontation 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. However, much of the Cambodian-Thai border remains in dispute, and the slow pace of mine clearance has delayed demarcation.
Both sides have claimed Preah Vihear for decades. The International Court of Justice awarded it to Cambodia in 1962, a ruling that has rankled many in Thailand ever since. -- REUTERS, AFP
Oct 13, 2008
PHNOM PENH - CAMBODIA accused Thailand on Monday of trying to send troops across their disputed border, warning that such a provocation could eventually lead to 'large scale conflict'.
Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong said up to 500 Thai troops had tried to cross the border near an area where two Thai soldiers stepped on landmines earlier this month.
'Our troops at the border have asked the Thais not to encroach on our border,' he told reporters after talks with his Thai counterpart, Mr Sompong Amornvivat, in Phnom Penh.
'If so, there will be an armed clash. This could lead to a large-scale conflict,' he said.
Mr Sompong did not speak to reporters, but Thai officials in Bangkok denied there was any attempted incursion.
'Invasion? What invasion when the land is claimed by both sides?' Thai army spokesman Sunsern Kaewkumnerd said.
Bangkok and Phnom Penh have accused each other of unprovoked aggression since a border shooting incident on Oct 3 in which three soldiers were wounded.
After that clash, Cambodia warned Thailand that such 'armed provocation' could lead to conflict.
The standoff began in July and centres on 1.8 square miles (4.6 sq km) of scrub near an ancient Hindu temple that sits on a jungle-clad escarpment dividing the countries.
The two countries have swapped accusations of violating each other's territory in the dispute over land near at least three ancient temples along their border.
At least one Cambodian soldier and two Thai troops were wounded when units exchanged gunfire during a brief clash on October 3 near Preah Vihear temple.
Two other Thai soldiers were also seriously injured last week after stepping on a landmine near the ruins.
Talks to discuss withdrawing troops from around Preah Vihear were postponed late August amid political turmoil in Thailand.
Tensions flared in July after ancient Khmer temple Preah Vihear was awarded world heritage status by the United Nations cultural body Unesco, angering nationalists in Thailand who still claim ownership of the site.
Those tensions turned into a military confrontation 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. However, much of the Cambodian-Thai border remains in dispute, and the slow pace of mine clearance has delayed demarcation.
Both sides have claimed Preah Vihear for decades. The International Court of Justice awarded it to Cambodia in 1962, a ruling that has rankled many in Thailand ever since. -- REUTERS, AFP
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