Hun Sen terms Friday border battle with Thai troops 'small clash'

PHNOM PENH, April 4 (AP)-(Kyodo) — Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said Saturday two short- lived border battles between Cambodian and Thai troops Friday near the ancient Preah Vihear Temple was not a precursor to war "but small clash."

The premier made the statement while meeting with Cambodian military veterans southern Kampot Province.

He added Cambodia deserved to use "self-defense" after Thai troops entered Cambodian territory.

Hun Sen said no Cambodian combatants were killed or wounded during the border clashes.

In Thailand, Thawatchai Samutsakorn, deputy commander of the Second Army of Thailand, told reporters three Thai soldiers were killed and 12 others wounded during the two gun battles Friday.

Hun Sen urged neither side to escalate the confrontation and to, instead, exchange "dried fish rather than gunfire."

Also Saturday, Gen. Pol Saroeun, Cambodia's military commander-in- chief, said the situation along the Cambodian-Thai border has "returned to normal."

In a press statement released late Friday, Cambodia said a brief skirmish between Cambodian and Thai troops occurred at 7:12 a.m. and lasted for 7 to 8 minutes, after which another larger battle began at 2 p.m. and lasted for 35 minutes.

It said Thai soldiers opened fire first in both incidents, but Thailand blamed Cambodia for making the first moves.

Phay Siphan, a spokesman for Cambodia's Council of Ministers, said fighting took place at three places on the border, an area known as Eagle Field, an area 2 kilometers to its west known as Phnom Troap and in an area 2 km to the east of Eagle Field near the disputed Preah Vihear Temple.

Despite the incidents, Phay Siphan said the planned meeting of the Joint Border Commission between the two countries will go ahead, and will be held in Phnom Penh next Monday and Tuesday.

Also, he said Hun Sen will attend the summits of the association of Southeast Asian Nations and its dialogue partners next Friday through Sunday in Pattaya, Thailand.

Cambodia's prime reconciliator with Thailand and his wife

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, center, shakes hands with his soldiers as his wife Bunrany, left, looks on at Koh Sla village, Kampot province, about 120 kilometers (74 miles) southwest of Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Saturday, April 4, 2009. Hun Sen on Saturday downplayed the border clashes that killed at least three Thai soldiers near a disputed 11th century temple as a mere 'incident' between neighbors that would not break out into war with Thailand. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith)
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen speaks as he visits Koh Sla village, Kampot province, about 120 kilometers (74 miles) southwest of Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Saturday, April 4, 2009. Hun Sen on Saturday downplayed the border clashes that killed at least three Thai soldiers near a disputed 11th century temple as a mere 'incident' between neighbors that would not break out into war with Thailand. At right is Hun Sen's wife Bunrany. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith)
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, right, greets villagers at Koh Sla village, Kampot province, about 120 kilometers (74 miles) southwest of Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Saturday, April 4, 2009. Hun Sen on Saturday downplayed the border clashes that killed at least three Thai soldiers near a disputed 11th century temple as a mere 'incident' between neighbors that would not break out into war with Thailand. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith)
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen gives a speech at Koh Sla village, Kampot province, about 120 kilometers (74 miles) southwest of Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Saturday, April 4, 2009. Hun Sen on Saturday downplayed the border clashes that killed at least three Thai soldiers near a disputed 11th century temple as a mere 'incident' between neighbors that would not break out into war with Thailand. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith)
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen gives a speech at Koh Sla village, Kampot province, about 120 kilometers (74 miles) southwest of Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Saturday, April 4, 2009. Hun Sen on Saturday downplayed the border clashes that killed at least three Thai soldiers near a disputed 11th century temple as a mere 'incident' between neighbors that would not break out into war with Thailand. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith)

Cambodia PM says Thai border conflict "not a war"

By Ek Madra

PHNOM PENH, April 4 (Reuters) - Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said on Saturday a border clash with Thailand around a 900-year-old Hindu temple would not escalate into a more serious conflict.

"I regard the fighting yesterday as an incident, not a war," Hun Sen said a day after Thai and Cambodian troops exchanged rifle and rocket fire near the Preah Vihear temple that has been a source of tension for decades.

Cambodia suffered no casualties, while Thai authorities said two of their soldiers were killed and nine wounded in the worst fighting since a military stand-off near the temple last year.

"I don't want to see these incidents repeated or fighting expand to other areas," Hun Sen told a group of disabled soldiers during a visit to the coastal province of Kampot. Both sides accused each other of firing first in two separate clashes on Friday, which Thailand called a "misunderstanding".

Preah Vihear, or Khao Phra Viharn as it is known in Thailand, sits on an escarpment that forms the natural border between the two countries and has been a source of tension for generations.

The International Court of Justice awarded it to Cambodia in 1962, but the ruling did not determine the ownership of 1.8 square miles (4.6 sq km) of scrub next to the ruins, leaving considerable scope for disagreement.

A joint border committee set up to demarcate the jungle-clad border area after last year's clashes, which killed one Thai and three Cambodian soldiers, will meet again on Sunday for three days of talks.

Both sides have talked about developing the site into a tourist destination. The site is some 600 km (370 miles) east of Bangkok and only a decade ago was controlled by remnants of Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge guerrilla army.

(Additional reporting by Vithoon Amorn in Bangkok)
(Writing by Darren Schuettler; Editing by Jeremy Laurence)

Thai-Cambodia Authorities Downplay Border Clash

APRIL 4, 2009
Associated Press

Cambodia's prime minister on Saturday downplayed the border clashes that killed at least three Thai soldiers near a disputed 11th century temple as a mere "incident" between neighbors that would not break out into war.

Military commanders from both sides said calm had been restored after Friday's fighting, which saw troops exchange fire with assault rifles and rocket launchers along Cambodia's northern border.

Thailand acknowledged that three of its soldiers had been killed and 12 were wounded. Cambodia said its military suffered no casualties. Cambodia earlier said as many as four were killed.

"Yesterday there was brief fighting, but the fighting was like neighbors who live close to each other and always have disputes," Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said. "Today they have a dispute, then they soothe things and talk to each other."

The border area has been a hot spot since Thailand took offense over Cambodia having the Preah Vihear temple declared a U.N. World Heritage site last year.

Although the World Court ruled in 1962 that the temple, also claimed by Thailand, is on Cambodian territory, many Thais still rankle over the decision. Thailand also maintains claims to nearby land where the fighting took place.

Hun Sen, who just a few days earlier had issued a fierce warning that Thailand would face tough fighting if its troops crossed into disputed territory near the temple, struck a conciliatory tone Saturday.

Smiling as he spoke, he described burst of combat as an "incident," not a war.

Hun Sen was speaking to several hundred people at a village he established for disabled army veterans and their families. The sometimes volatile leader was celebrating his 58th birthday.

He said Friday's fighting was triggered when Thai soldiers advanced into heavily mined territory claimed by Cambodia and ignored warnings to turn back. Thai officials denied any intrusion and said Cambodian troops fired first.

The Cambodian prime minsiter emphasized that the fighting left no Cambodian soldiers killed or wounded, with "not even a scratch."

Thailand's deputy regional commander, Maj. Gen. Tawatchai Samutsakorn, said three of his country's soldiers were killed and 12 wounded.

Cambodian armed forces commander Gen. Pol Saroeun said the situation along the border was now calm.

"There are no more confrontations, and both sides' front-line commanders will have negotiations," he said.

Leaders in both countries have a history of playing to nationalist sentiment in sovereignty disputes.

Cambodians are very sensitive to perceived slights by their larger, richer neighbor Thailand, which many Cambodians see as arrogant.

Domestic political power struggles in Thailand in the past few years have led to an upsurge of nationalist sentiment there that few politicians are willing to buck and some use for leverage against their rivals.

The tensions erupted in brief border clashes last year, killing two Cambodian soldiers and one Thai, and both sides have stepped up deployment of soldiers at the border since then.