BANGKOK, February 6 (Reuters): Thai and Cambodian soldiers exchanged fire on a disputed stretch of their border on Sunday, witnesses said, the third flare-up in three days in an ancient feud over territory surrounding a 900-year-old Hindu temple. The latest fighting occurred despite Thailand’s announcement of a ceasefire on Saturday following clashes in the area that killed at least five people on Friday and Saturday.
A witness said about 20 rounds went off in the vicinity of a 4.6-sq-km (two-sq-mile) contested area around the 11th-century Preah Vihear temple, on a jungle-clad escarpment overlooking northern Cambodia and claimed by both Southeast Asian neighbors. “We are receiving reports of fresh shooting right now. But there is no report of casualties,” said Thai army spokesman Colonel Sansern Kaewkamnerd.
In Phnom Penh, a Cambodian government spokesman said the cause of the latest clash was not clear while a pro-government television station said Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva was “hungry for war.” Although sporadic clashes in the area are not unusual, it is rare for the two sides to fight over consecutive days.
The Association of South East Asian Nations, a regional forum of which both Thailand and Cambodia are members, said on Saturday the deteriorating situation was undermining confidence in the region and would affect its economic recovery. The area of the clash is remote with scattered villages on the Thai side and little development on the Cambodian side. A Thai village school director in the area said about 2,500 people had been moved away from their village to safety.
On Saturday, Thai and Cambodian troops fought with rocket-propelled grenades and guns for about 25 minutes in a clash that killed one Thai soldier, before reaching a truce and agreeing not to reinforce troops. That followed an intense two-hour clash in which three Cambodians, including two soldiers, and a Thai villager were killed on Friday, the first fatalities in the militarized area since a Thai soldier was shot dead on January 31, 2010.
The fighting is the latest episode in on-again off-again tension between the neighbors. Relations with Cambodia have also become a bone of contention in long-running hostility between Thai political factions.
Pro-establishment Thai “yellow shirt” activists have accused their main rival, ousted former populist premier Thaksin Shinawatra, of colluding with Cambodia to Thailand’s detriment.
The “yellow shirt” protesters are demanding that Thai Prime Minister Abhisit take a tougher line against Cambodia. Up to 4,000 of the protesters gathered outside Abhisit’s offices on Saturday, criticizing his government for its handling of the dispute and calling for his resignation. The Thai Foreign Ministry has accused Cambodia of engaging in “an act of aggression (in) violation of Thai sovereignty and territorial integrity.” Cambodia has accused Thailand of invasion and filed a complaint with the U.N. Security Council.
The temple, known as Preah Vihear in Cambodia and Khao Phra Viharn in Thailand, sits on land that forms a natural border and has been a source of tension for generations. The International Court of Justice awarded it to Cambodia in 1962 but the ruling did not determine the ownership of the scrub next to the ruins, leaving considerable scope for disagreement.
A witness said about 20 rounds went off in the vicinity of a 4.6-sq-km (two-sq-mile) contested area around the 11th-century Preah Vihear temple, on a jungle-clad escarpment overlooking northern Cambodia and claimed by both Southeast Asian neighbors. “We are receiving reports of fresh shooting right now. But there is no report of casualties,” said Thai army spokesman Colonel Sansern Kaewkamnerd.
In Phnom Penh, a Cambodian government spokesman said the cause of the latest clash was not clear while a pro-government television station said Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva was “hungry for war.” Although sporadic clashes in the area are not unusual, it is rare for the two sides to fight over consecutive days.
The Association of South East Asian Nations, a regional forum of which both Thailand and Cambodia are members, said on Saturday the deteriorating situation was undermining confidence in the region and would affect its economic recovery. The area of the clash is remote with scattered villages on the Thai side and little development on the Cambodian side. A Thai village school director in the area said about 2,500 people had been moved away from their village to safety.
On Saturday, Thai and Cambodian troops fought with rocket-propelled grenades and guns for about 25 minutes in a clash that killed one Thai soldier, before reaching a truce and agreeing not to reinforce troops. That followed an intense two-hour clash in which three Cambodians, including two soldiers, and a Thai villager were killed on Friday, the first fatalities in the militarized area since a Thai soldier was shot dead on January 31, 2010.
The fighting is the latest episode in on-again off-again tension between the neighbors. Relations with Cambodia have also become a bone of contention in long-running hostility between Thai political factions.
Pro-establishment Thai “yellow shirt” activists have accused their main rival, ousted former populist premier Thaksin Shinawatra, of colluding with Cambodia to Thailand’s detriment.
The “yellow shirt” protesters are demanding that Thai Prime Minister Abhisit take a tougher line against Cambodia. Up to 4,000 of the protesters gathered outside Abhisit’s offices on Saturday, criticizing his government for its handling of the dispute and calling for his resignation. The Thai Foreign Ministry has accused Cambodia of engaging in “an act of aggression (in) violation of Thai sovereignty and territorial integrity.” Cambodia has accused Thailand of invasion and filed a complaint with the U.N. Security Council.
The temple, known as Preah Vihear in Cambodia and Khao Phra Viharn in Thailand, sits on land that forms a natural border and has been a source of tension for generations. The International Court of Justice awarded it to Cambodia in 1962 but the ruling did not determine the ownership of the scrub next to the ruins, leaving considerable scope for disagreement.
