Thailand, Cambodia trade protests over border skirmish

PHNOM PENH, Oct. 4 Kyodo - The Cambodian government sent a letter to Thailand on Saturday to protest an armed confrontation Friday with Thai troops near a disputed border temple that resulted in casualties on both sides.

In a diplomatic note to the Thai Embassy in Phnom Penh, the Cambodian Foreign
Ministry said it ''strongly protests against this deplorable and intentional
armed provocation by Thai soldiers.''
''Such armed provocation by Thai soldiers could lead to very grave
consequences, including full scale armed hostility which would adversely affect
the present efforts of the two governments to seek out a peaceful and amicable
solution to the current border problems,'' it continued.
Thai and Cambodian troops exchanged gunfire for several minutes Friday near the
Preah Vihear temple on the border between the two countries.
The clash broke out at about 3:30 p.m. and ended soon thereafter.
Later Saturday, in Bangkok, the Thai Foreign Ministry's permanent secretary,
Virasakdi Futrakul, summoned Cambodia's charge d' affairs to protest Friday's
confrontation.
Virasakdi handed an ''aide memoire'' to Charge d'affairs Ouk Sophoin at the
Foreign Ministry.
The diplomatic note ''strongly protests'' the confrontation between Thai and
Cambodian troops, charging Cambodia ''seriously violated Thai sovereignty'' by
entering a Thai area and building trenches for Cambodian troops.
He also insisted Cambodian troops made the first threat by firing into the air.
''We urged the Cambodian side to prevent a further confrontation, which will
definitely affect the bilateral cooperation to solve a border standoff,''
Virasak said.
The Thai foreign minister said in a statement late Friday that Thai troops were
attacked by Cambodian troops who crossed onto Thai soil. It added the Thai
military unit attempted to negotiate the withdrawal of the troops but failed.
''As Thai military was moving out of the area to report their commander, the
Cambodian military unit opened fire at them. The Thai (side) was therefore
compelled to return fire,'' the statement said.
In Phnom Penh on Friday, Gen. Neang Phat of Cambodia's Ministry of National
Defense told Kyodo News one Cambodian was wounded on his right arm and two Thai
soldiers suffered legs wounds, but the situation returned to normal soon after
it broke out.
Sources said the general and other senior Cambodian military leaders exchanged
telephone calls with their counterparts in Thailand to defuse the situation.
Council of Ministers spokesman Phay Siphan said 17 Thai soldiers, after being
denied entry into Cambodian territory, used an M-79 rocket-propelled grenade
launcher and fired toward the Cambodians, triggering the skirmish.
Cambodian troops returned fire, he said.
But Col. Sansern Kaewkamnerd, the Thai military spokesman in Bangkok, told
Kyodo News on Friday that the Thai side ''did not fire first.''
In Bangkok on Saturday, Gen. Wichit Yathip, an aide to Thai Deputy Prime
Minister Chavalit Yongchaiyudh, said he talked with Cambodian Defense Minister
Tea Banh by telephone about the incident and that Tea Bahn expressed concern
about the possibility of border confrontations.
Troops from both countries have been in a military standoff over a disputed
border area occupied by Thai troops near the Preah Vihear temple since July 15.
Friday's clash occurred about 3 kilometers west of the temple.
Cambodia succeeded in June in getting Preah Vihear inscribed by UNESCO as a
World Heritage site, over Thailand's objections.
The border dispute and military standoff escalated after Cambodia detained
three Thai ultranationalist activists who Cambodia alleges illegally crossed
into Cambodia near the World Heritage-listed temple.
Since then, Thailand and Cambodia had been building up their forces near the
temple.
On Aug. 16, several hundred troops from both sides who had been deployed to the
area since July 15 were drawn back from immediate confrontation, but they
remain close by.
Cambodia and Thailand have met for several rounds of talks on the standoff, but
it remains unresolved.
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen has warned that his country could bring the
case to the international court if the bilateral discussions fail.
Friday's clash came just nine days ahead of a planned visit to Cambodia by new
Thai Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat.
Some analysts in Phnom Penh suggested the skirmish was part of a plan by
ultranationalists on the Thai side who want to derail Somchai's visit and any
chance of quickly ending the border dispute.
But Gen. Wichit said in Bangkok on Saturday that Somchai's visit to Phnom Penh
will go ahead as planned on Oct. 13.