Monday, May 02, 2011

Thais head home as Cambodia border clashes ease

May 02, 2011

BANGKOK (AP) - Tens of thousands of Thai villagers who fled fighting along the border with Cambodia have begun returning to their homes.

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said Monday that with combat winding down to exchanges of small arms fire instead of artillery duels, people could safely leave makeshift refugee camps.

A total of 16 soldiers and one civilian from both sides have died since the fighting began on April 22. A decades-old dispute over small patches of land along the border has been the trigger for combat, but nationalistic posturing for domestic political purposes on both sides has heightened tensions.

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