Rockets fired on Thai-Cambodian border

Rockets fired on Thai-Cambodian border
Friday, 03 Apr 2009 10:54

Soldiers exchanged rifle and rocket fire on the Thai-Cambodian border today in the latest incident in a dispute over an ancient Hindu temple.

Both sides confirmed there were no casualties in the exchange at Preah Vihear, or Khao Phra Viharn in Thai, with Thai military sources claiming the incident was a "misunderstanding".

The two countries have been embroiled in dispute over the 11th century temple since the International Court of Justice awarded it to Cambodia in 1962, but failed to define who the area of jungle surrounding the holy site belonged to.

The clash, which lasted around an hour, reportedly began when 60 Thai soldiers crossed the border, 370 miles east of Bangkok, and opened fire on Cambodian troops stationed there.

General Srey Deok, the Cambodian army commander at the temple, told news agencies: "The Thais fired rockets and rifles at us, and we responded in the same way."

But Thai officials denied their troops had opened fire first, and played down the incident after army commanders spoke by radio and agreed a ceasefire.

Thai defence minister Prawit Wongsuwan said: "It was an accident, a misunderstanding among officials on the ground, which is common when you are closely positioned."

But Cambodian prime minister and former Khmer Rouge leader Hun Sen warned Thai leaders they would fight if Thai soldiers crossed into their country again.

This clash comes just a day after a Thai soldier lost his leg after stepping on a landmine near the 900-year-old temple.

Both countries have had troops stationed at the site since July 2008, but the border has been relatively quiet since October last year when one Thai and three Cambodian troops were killed in violence over the eight-square-mile piece of land.

The 500-mile border between the two countries has been the subject of dispute for years, with no clear demarcation and the two countries using different maps to define their boundaries.

The Cambodia-Thailand joint border committee said they would meet at the weekend in Siem Reap, Cambodia to resume talks to try and find a solution to the conflict.