Oct 4, 2008
AFP
BANGKOK - THAILAND'S government on Saturday denied that its forces had provoked a border skirmish which left three soldiers injured and accused Cambodian troops of intruding into Thai territory.
On Friday Cambodian officials said more than a dozen Thai soldiers had crossed into disputed territory near the ancient Preah Vihear temple.
But Thailand's foreign ministry blamed its neighbour and said the three-minute exchange of gunfire came after Cambodian troops trespassed.
'They had encroached about one kilometre (more than half a mile) into Thai territory,' foreign ministry spokesman Tharit Charungvat said in a statement.
The statement said that on Friday at around 3.45pm, a Thai military unit patrolling the border area, about one kilometre west of the Preah Vihear temple, came across a Cambodian military unit.
Thai soldiers first attempted to negotiate a withdrawal and were leaving to report to their commander when the Cambodian soldiers opened fire, it said.
But according to Cambodia, Thai troops had been turned back by Cambodian soldiers and Thai soldiers were the first to open fire.
Two Thai soldiers were injured in the exchange, and one Cambodian soldier's hand was hit.
Thai officials said the incident had been contained with high-level military officials on both sides agreeing to establish closer contact to prevent any repeat. They said Cambodian officials had agreed to investigate.
The incident comes as both countries attempt progress in talks to resolve the decades-long border dispute.
Tensions flared in July after the ancient Khmer temple of Preah Vihear was awarded world heritage status by the UN cultural body Unesco, angering nationalists in Thailand who still claim ownership of the site.
Those tensions turned into a military standoff, in which up to 1,000 Cambodian and Thai troops faced off for six weeks.
Both sides agreed to pull back in mid-August, leaving just a few dozen soldiers stationed near the temple.
On Friday Cambodian officials said more than a dozen Thai soldiers had crossed into disputed territory near the ancient Preah Vihear temple.
But Thailand's foreign ministry blamed its neighbour and said the three-minute exchange of gunfire came after Cambodian troops trespassed.
'They had encroached about one kilometre (more than half a mile) into Thai territory,' foreign ministry spokesman Tharit Charungvat said in a statement.
The statement said that on Friday at around 3.45pm, a Thai military unit patrolling the border area, about one kilometre west of the Preah Vihear temple, came across a Cambodian military unit.
Thai soldiers first attempted to negotiate a withdrawal and were leaving to report to their commander when the Cambodian soldiers opened fire, it said.
But according to Cambodia, Thai troops had been turned back by Cambodian soldiers and Thai soldiers were the first to open fire.
Two Thai soldiers were injured in the exchange, and one Cambodian soldier's hand was hit.
Thai officials said the incident had been contained with high-level military officials on both sides agreeing to establish closer contact to prevent any repeat. They said Cambodian officials had agreed to investigate.
The incident comes as both countries attempt progress in talks to resolve the decades-long border dispute.
Tensions flared in July after the ancient Khmer temple of Preah Vihear was awarded world heritage status by the UN cultural body Unesco, angering nationalists in Thailand who still claim ownership of the site.
Those tensions turned into a military standoff, in which up to 1,000 Cambodian and Thai troops faced off for six weeks.
Both sides agreed to pull back in mid-August, leaving just a few dozen soldiers stationed near the temple.
7 comments:
So typical of siam , the siam thieves accusing rightful owners of being thieves instead. That is how the siam have managed to expand out of nothing , from Nanchao to curresnt place.
Shameless Thai should learn how to lie better. I was not in the incident, but let's do some Chao Chak Smok's method:
- Scenario 1 where Thai soliders opened fire first: This could go along with their ACCUSATION of Cambodian soldiers intruding into their territory.
- Scenario 2 where Cambodian soldiers started the shooting: this is because Thai soldiers must have almost walked on the heads of Khmer soldiers that's why they reacted with the shooting.
BUT to say that Cambodia provoked the shooting by crossing into Thailand and opened fired first is not logical and unbelievable. I don't think Thai soliders are this patient to wait for that to happen. The Thai soldiers even shoot dead innocent and unarmed Khmer people who cross border just to buy food.
You Thai foreign spokesman should be ashamed of yourself.
Angel
What happen to all those five stars Cambodian generals who suppose to run the Cambodian military to protect Cambodian sovereignty?
Give it up all you fucken stupid Cambodian politician piece of shit! Let the five stars Cambodian general run the military so the Cambodian army is free to wage the fucken war on the Thai to protect Cambodian people and Cambodian sovereignty!
All of you stupid Cambodian politician always say Cambodia can't afford to go to war even if Thai army invade the whole Cambodia because the fucken war will bring hardship for Cambodian people and will destroy Cambodia economically! And for those Cambodian people who are arguing vehemently in favor of the fucken war will flee Cambodia to safety in the third world country! Now let assume this is a valid argument then the Thai will gain all the Cambodian territories with their occupation of the three ancient Cambodian temples! NO matter how much the stupid Cambodian politician claimed that they get back those ancient Khmer temple through bilateral talk but didn't Cambodia has three bilateral talks already which yield nothing!
Go talk some more you stupid Cambodian politicians while Cambodian soldiers are a sitting duck for the Thai M-79 and their machine guns! How can Cambodian military wage the fucken war when their hands and legs are tied? Do the stupid Cambodian politicians want to see more casualties or the killing of Cambodian soldiers and Cambodian civilian before something can be done?
They are busy. What do you want?
what!! according to their unilateral map? what a thieve they really are. cambodia should take back all of our old khmer provinces back from thailand.
Okay, you can have PP back after we got SiemReap back.
The word "Siem" is SiemReap explicitly said who the province belong to. Why is there even any dispute about this?
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