Cambodia refugees walk after getting out from a truck at Sra Em village after leaving Preah Vihear temple where Thai and Cambodian soldiers exchanged rifle and rocket fire in Preah Vihear province, 543 km (337 miles) north of Phnom Penh April 3, 2009. Thai and Cambodian soldiers exchanged rocket and rifle fire on a disputed stretch of their border on Friday, killing two Thais in the latest flare-up of an ancient feud over the 900-year-old Hindu temple.
REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea ( CAMBODIA POLITICS CONFLICT)The premier made this clear during the regular cabinet meeting Friday morning, said Phay Siphan, spokesman and secretary of state of the Council of Ministers.
Obviously, Phay Siphan referred to the first round of crossfire between Cambodian and Thai soldiers around 07:15 local time (0015 GMT) on Friday at the Veal Intry area, or the Eagle Field, near the 900-year-old Preah Vihear temple, which led to no death and casualty.
The second round of crossfire erupted some seven hours later at the same area, with heavy ammunition and killing two Cambodian soldiers so far, according to Cambodian government spokesman and Information Minister Khieu Kanharith.
After the cabinet meeting on Friday, Phay Siphan told reporters that "we divide diplomacy, government work and military operation like the one that happened this morning," he said, adding that ASEAN (the Association of Southeast Asian Nations) meetings are very important.
In addition, he told reporters that the border committee of Thailand and Cambodia will hold their meeting from April 6 to 7 in Siem Reap province as scheduled.
Since July 2008, troops from both sides have stationed near the Preah Vihear temple, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and two armed clashes last year sparked brief concerns of war.
The two neighboring countries have never fully demarcated their disputed border, partly due to the landmines left over from decades of civil war in Cambodia.
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