(RTTNews) - Thai and Cambodian forces continued to trade gunfire in a border town claimed by both sides for the fourth successive day on Monday, reports said.
Fighting broke out at 8 a.m. local time on Monday after an overnight lull. Five people--one soldier and a civilian from the Thai side and two Cambodian soldiers and a civilian--have died in the latest round of clashes which erupted on Friday.
Provocation for the stand-off was reported to be last week's sentencing of two members of a Thai nationalist movement by a Cambodian court. The fire-fight has led to a mass exodus with the region's residents fleeing their homes in thousands.
At the center of the dispute is the area surrounding the 11th century Preah Vihear temple. An international court in 1962 had ruled that the ancient place of worship belonged to Cambodia. But rival claims over the adjoining peace of land remained an irritant in bilateral ties.
Cambodia accuses Thailand of triggering the clashes but this was termed a misunderstanding by an unnamed Thai military official. According to Bangkok's official spokesman, Thailand "has clear policy that we will not invade any country."
Thai Premier Abhisit Vejjajiva urged a peaceful solution to the stand-off even as he warned Cambodia that the Army would repulse any threat to Thailand's sovereignty.
Meanwhile, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon urged the two countries to "exercise maximum restraint." He added that the U.N. "remains at their disposal to assist in these peaceful efforts." The Association of South East Asean Nations (ASEAN) also indicated its willingness to broker peace between the two sides.
Bilateral ties were pushed to the brink in 2008, when UNESCO awarded Unesco World Heritage status for Preah Vihear.
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen on Sunday called upon the U.N. Security Council to rein in Thailand's "repeated acts of aggression" against his country. Phnom Penh also says Bangkok's air raids had damaged part of the temple.
by RTT Staff Writer
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