ARANYAPRATHET, Thailand • Talks between Thailand and Cambodia failed yesterday to end a week-long military stand-off over an ancient temple on their border, which regional neighbours feared could turn violent.
Hundreds of troops at the temple will hold their positions, negotiators said after eight hours of talks on an issue that has whipped up nationalist fervour in both southeast Asian nations.
"The best option is to stay where they are, but avoid using weapons," Thai Supreme Commander Boonsrang Niumpradit told reporters.
Cambodian Defence Minister Tea Banh said "it is impossible to find a solution at this second", but negotiations would continue at a later unspecified date.
The meeting took place in the Thai border town of Aranyaprathet, 380 km from the 11th century temple awarded to Cambodia by an international court in 1962. At the heart of the dispute is a 4.6 sq km (1.8 sq mile) area around the temple, which sits on a jungle-clad escarpment that forms a natural boundary, that is claimed by both nations.
Yesterday’s talks partly bogged down over which maps should be used to settle ownership of the temple and surrounding area, officials said. Cambodia complained to the United Nations Security Council on Friday about Thailand's violation of Cambodia's "sovereignty and territorial integrity", but did not ask the UN to intervene. In a sign of easing tensions, soldiers at the site had agreed yesterday to keep weapons out of the temple itself, Cambodian commander Chea Mon said.
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