Thai-Cambodia border patrol agreed

Two Cambodian soldiers were killed and several on each side were wounded in the clashes [AFP] Thailand and Cambodia have agreed to conduct joint military patrols after Wednesday's border clashes left two Cambodian soldiers dead. The move comes after both sides held lengthy emergency talks in the aftermath of skirmishes at the disputed border area near the 900-year-old Preah Vihear temple. General Wiboonsak Neeparn, the Thai regional commander, said both countries would keep troops and artillery in the region. Marga Ortigas, Al Jazeera's correspondent reporting from the disputed border, said there was no formal ceasefire agreement. Several soldiers on both sides were also wounded during Wednesday's gun battles. Thousands of Cambodian villagers in the area near the Preah Vihear temple have fled their homes amid fears of more violence. Blame game Hor Namhong, Cambodia's foreign minister, said 10 Thai soldiers, who had surrendered and were taken prisoner, would be returned to Thailand if Bangkok requested. "The prime minister has ordered that the 10 soldiers be treated well," he told a news conference in Phnom Penh. Colonel Sunsern Kaewkumnerd, a Thai army spokesman, blamed the Cambodians for starting the battle, which he said "was triggered by a Thai patrol unit's encounter with their Cambodian counterpart". "The Cambodian side ignited fighting with rifles," he said, adding that he believed talks between the two armies would prevent the situation from escalating. Sompong Amornvivat, Thailand's foreign minister, called on Thai nationals in Cambodia to leave as soon as possible. "Thai businessmen who have no need to be in Cambodia now, please rush back to Thailand... We have our evacuation plan ready," Sompong said. Temple dispute The border clash came after Cambodia had said that 500 Thai troops had started to deploy close to the border area. Thai television on Wednesday showed military lorries loaded with tanks heading towards the border and troops setting up mortars, while the Thai air force said its fighter jets were on stand-by. Before the fighting broke out, Somchai Wongsawat, the Thai prime minister, had given assurances that Thailand would not resort to violence and that talks would resume. "If there is a problem, we will use peaceful means with an emphasis on negotiations," he said. At the centre of the dispute is Preah Vihear, which the UN listed as a World Heritage Site in July, a ruling that re-ignited a decades-old feud. Both countries have long claimed the temple but the World Court awarded it to Cambodia in 1962.