Aerial view of Preah Vihear temple.PHNOM PENH, April 26 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian and Thai troops exchanged fire near the 11th century Preah Vihear temple on disputed border Tuesday afternoon, sources said.
"The fighting started at 1:40 p.m. at the disputed area near Preah Vihear temple," brigadier general Thul Sovan, deputy commander of Cambodian Military Division 3, stationed at the frontline near Preah Vihear temple, told Xinhua by telephone.
This marks the fifth straight day of fighting between Cambodian and Thai troops on the disputed border after the four-day clashes on April 22-25 near the 13th century Ta Moan temple and Ta Krabei temple in Oddar Meanchey province, which lie 150 kilometers west of Preah Vihear temple.
It's unknown who triggered the clash Tuesday and the casualties remained unclear.
The last four days of armed clashes between Cambodian and Thai troops killed at least 11 soldiers and injured dozens on both sides and forced tens of thousands of the two countries' residents to flee home.
Both sides accused each other of provoking the conflict and the diplomatic efforts to deploy truce observers on disputed border were stalled after Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa, whose country holds the current rotating chair of the regional bloc ASEAN, cancelled his plan to visit Cambodia and Thailand on April 25.
Koy Kuong, spokesman of Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, said that Marty had not explained the reason for the cancellation.
"I suspect that the cancellation is due to Thai disagreement to sign the terms of reference for the deployment of the Indonesian observers in disputed border areas to prevent further armed clashes," he said.
The border between Thailand and Cambodia has never been completely demarcated.
Although the International Court of Justice ruled in 1962 that the Temple of Preah Vihear belonged to Cambodia, the row over the 4.6-square-km territory around the temple has never been resolved.
Since Cambodia's Preah Vihear temple was listed as the World Heritage Site on July 7, 2008 by UNESCO, both sides have built up military forces along the border leading to periodic clashes.
Editor: Zhang Xiang
"The fighting started at 1:40 p.m. at the disputed area near Preah Vihear temple," brigadier general Thul Sovan, deputy commander of Cambodian Military Division 3, stationed at the frontline near Preah Vihear temple, told Xinhua by telephone.
This marks the fifth straight day of fighting between Cambodian and Thai troops on the disputed border after the four-day clashes on April 22-25 near the 13th century Ta Moan temple and Ta Krabei temple in Oddar Meanchey province, which lie 150 kilometers west of Preah Vihear temple.
It's unknown who triggered the clash Tuesday and the casualties remained unclear.
The last four days of armed clashes between Cambodian and Thai troops killed at least 11 soldiers and injured dozens on both sides and forced tens of thousands of the two countries' residents to flee home.
Both sides accused each other of provoking the conflict and the diplomatic efforts to deploy truce observers on disputed border were stalled after Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa, whose country holds the current rotating chair of the regional bloc ASEAN, cancelled his plan to visit Cambodia and Thailand on April 25.
Koy Kuong, spokesman of Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, said that Marty had not explained the reason for the cancellation.
"I suspect that the cancellation is due to Thai disagreement to sign the terms of reference for the deployment of the Indonesian observers in disputed border areas to prevent further armed clashes," he said.
The border between Thailand and Cambodia has never been completely demarcated.
Although the International Court of Justice ruled in 1962 that the Temple of Preah Vihear belonged to Cambodia, the row over the 4.6-square-km territory around the temple has never been resolved.
Since Cambodia's Preah Vihear temple was listed as the World Heritage Site on July 7, 2008 by UNESCO, both sides have built up military forces along the border leading to periodic clashes.
Editor: Zhang Xiang
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