Soldiers in Deadly Clash at Thai/Cambodian Border, Disputed Accounts of Casualties
A gun battle broke out at the disputed Preah Vihear Temple area along the border of Thailand and Cambodia, various news sources have reported. Thailand and Cambodia have been in a tense stand off over the Preah Vihear Temple, which Cambodia successfully listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Thailand claims the temple and the two are unable to demarcate borders along that area due to the use of different maps. In the meantime, diplomats have been working furiously and through two Thailand governments to avoid full-out combat. Yesterday’s violence appears to be the most severe so far. Cambodian officials are reporting 4 Thais killed, 10 captured, while Thai officials are reporting two Thai soldiers killed and 10 injured. There are so far reports of two Cambodian soldiers killed. The fighting has stopped thus far as diplomats try to intervene.
Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Sen has warned that his patience over the matter was wearing thin and that any further “incursions” into Cambodian territory (Thailand’s continued military presence in the disputed region) would result in combat. He announced a few days ago that he had already given his troops permission to engage any Thai soldiers encroaching on the disputed territory.
Image: file image of Thai soldiers heading towards Preah Vihear, via blogger Khmerization.
