| Thursday April 2nd, 2009 |
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BANGKOK (AFP)--A Thai soldier lost a leg after stepping on a landmine in a disputed area along the border with Cambodia, where tensions remain high following a deadly clash last year, the military said.
The incident came two days after Cambodian premier Hun Sen warned Thailand that it would face fighting if its troops crossed their disputed frontier, and a week after an alleged trespass by about 100 soldiers.
"One Thai soldier was wounded after he stepped on a mine while patrolling this morning in the disputed area. He lost his left leg and is being treated in hospital," deputy Thai army spokesman Colonel Sirichan Ngathong said.
"The situation there so far is normal."
Cambodian troops said they were on "high alert" after the incident.
The incident happened when a group of Thai soldiers crossed into a contested zone near an ancient temple close to the site of last year's gunbattle, they added.
"Thai troops entered about 50 meters into our territory and one of them stepped on a landmine. They then fired shots into the air," Yeim Kheang, a Cambodian soldier posted at the border, told AFP by telephone.
"This makes us on high alert and ready to fight," he said.
"The situation is okay now, but if they enter just one or two meters into our land again, we will open fire. We already got the order from the top," he added.
Tensions over the long-disputed territory flared in July last year after the 11th century Preah Vihear temple was granted United Nations world heritage status. Soldiers clashed in the area in October, leaving four troops dead.
Subsequent talks between Cambodia and Thailand have not resolved the dispute.
Hun Sen said on Tuesday that Cambodian forces had been ordered to "fight" if Thai troops again crossed the border. Thailand denies that its troops went over the frontier last week.
The border between the two countries has never been fully demarcated, in part because it is littered with landmines left over from decades of war in Cambodia.
The incident came two days after Cambodian premier Hun Sen warned Thailand that it would face fighting if its troops crossed their disputed frontier, and a week after an alleged trespass by about 100 soldiers.
"One Thai soldier was wounded after he stepped on a mine while patrolling this morning in the disputed area. He lost his left leg and is being treated in hospital," deputy Thai army spokesman Colonel Sirichan Ngathong said.
"The situation there so far is normal."
Cambodian troops said they were on "high alert" after the incident.
The incident happened when a group of Thai soldiers crossed into a contested zone near an ancient temple close to the site of last year's gunbattle, they added.
"Thai troops entered about 50 meters into our territory and one of them stepped on a landmine. They then fired shots into the air," Yeim Kheang, a Cambodian soldier posted at the border, told AFP by telephone.
"This makes us on high alert and ready to fight," he said.
"The situation is okay now, but if they enter just one or two meters into our land again, we will open fire. We already got the order from the top," he added.
Tensions over the long-disputed territory flared in July last year after the 11th century Preah Vihear temple was granted United Nations world heritage status. Soldiers clashed in the area in October, leaving four troops dead.
Subsequent talks between Cambodia and Thailand have not resolved the dispute.
Hun Sen said on Tuesday that Cambodian forces had been ordered to "fight" if Thai troops again crossed the border. Thailand denies that its troops went over the frontier last week.
The border between the two countries has never been fully demarcated, in part because it is littered with landmines left over from decades of war in Cambodia.
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