Thai troops still refused to withdraw from Phnom Trop

Monday, 19 April 2010
By Khmerization
Source: RFI

14 Thai troops who moved in to occupy a strip of Phnom Trop Mountain on Friday, the 16th, had steadfastly refused to withdraw from the area, despite strong protest from Cambodian troops, reports Radio France Internationale.

Those 14 Thai troops had sneaked in to occupy the area when Cambodian troops were preparing to celebrate the Khmer New Year.

Gen. Chum Socheat, spokesman for the Cambodian Defence Ministry, said local commanders from both sides were holding talks, but up to Sunday afternoon those Thai troops still refused to withdraw. Local Cambodian commanders said they will resolve the issue locally first before sending the case to the national level. Gen. Chum Socheat said those 14 Thai soldiers said they are ready to withdraw if given orders by their top commanders. However, experience in the past show that this is just a ploy, he said.

On another development, the situation at O'Smach has eased after two heavy firefights on Saturday between Cambodian troops and about 20 Thai troops. According to the Bangkok Post, the situations had eased because Cambodian troops agreed to withdraw from the "disputed area".

On Saturday, 17th, two clashes occurred near O'Smach border town in Oddar Meanchey province. Some Thai soldiers are suspected to be wounded or killed because after the clashes, Cambodian soldiers had found two riffles, a helmet with blood stains, a two-way radio and a knapsack containing many rounds of bullets were left behind. However, the Thai military said all their soldiers have been all accounted for and that its side had not suffered any casualty.

Thai, Cambodian army officers hold talks after border gunfire [-Thai troops deliberately provoking Cambodian soldiers?]

BANGKOK, April 3 (Xinhua) -- Local-level Thai army officers were in the process to hold talk with those of Cambodian army officers after the two sides exchanged gunfire briefly early Friday morning on a disputed border area, Thai army spokesman Colonel Sansern Khaewkamnerd said.

The exchange of gunfire occurred after Thai soldiers went to tell around 20 Cambodian soldiers, who were at Tramareu area that Tramareu [Veal Entry in Khmer] belongs to Thailand, so they should not have entered, the Thai army spokesman told Xinhua during a telephone interview.

After the two sides separated from their meeting at Tramareu area, it was the Cambodian side that started opening fire, said the Thai army spokesman.

After the Thai soldiers did hear the shooting from the Cambodian side, they did fire back, said Colonel Sansern.

Meanhwile, Phay Siphan, Cambodian spokesman of the Council of Ministers, said the crossfire occurred around 07:15 local time (0015GMT), after a number of Thai soldiers trespassed on the Eagle Field, a piece of Cambodian soil.

According to a report by the website of Thai-language newspaper Thai Rath, the Cambodian soldiers claimed the shooting from their side was the accident.

By mid-Friday there was no report of casualty from the two sides.

On Thursday a Thai soldier during his patrol task stepped on a landmine and lost a leg at Tramareu area, and it was suspected that the landmine was planted by the Cambodian soldiers, Colonel Sansern said.

Tramareu area, which is around one kilometer from Preah Vihear temple, is in Kantalak district of Thailand's northeastern province of Sisaket, according to the Thai army spokesman.

In July last year, the tension over the long-disputed territory of the two countries started after the 11th century Preah Vihear temple at the border was granted UNESCO World Heritage status.

The two countries' troops clashed in the area in October and four soldiers died. The border dispute has not been resolved during subsequent talks by the two countries.

The two neighboring countries have never fully demarcated their disputed border, due partly to landmines left over from decades of war in Cambodia.

Cambodian, Thai border troops exchange gunfire

Friday, April 03, 2009

BANGKOK (AFP) — Gunfire broke out briefly Friday between Thai and Cambodian troops in a disputed area on the countries' common border, Thai officials said, raising tensions that erupted into a deadly clash last year.

The exchange of shots took place in the early morning after Cambodian soldiers went to investigate the spot where a Thai soldier stepped on a landmine a day earlier and lost his leg, Thai officials said.

"The brief clash happened at 7:10am when Cambodian troops came to investigate the spot where that Thai soldier stepped on a landmine yesterday," Seni Chittakasem, governor of Si Sa Ket province in Thailand said.

"There is no report of loss (of life) on the Thai side and it's ended now," he said, adding that the trouble flared one kilometre (around half a mile) into the disputed territory.

A Cambodian soldier stationed at the border said the gunfire had raised tensions between troops, but disputed that Thai troops had fired any shots.

"A group of Thai soldiers this morning entered Cambodian territory and Cambodian troops opened fire," Yeim Kheang told AFP by telephone.

"The situation is now tense... the Thai troops did not fire back," he said.

The landmine incident a day earlier had put Cambodian troops on "high alert" they said, two days after their premier Hun Sen warned Thailand that it would face fighting if its troops crossed their disputed frontier.

Tensions over the long-disputed territory flared in July last year after an 11th century temple at the border was granted United Nations world heritage status. Soldiers clashed in the area in October, leaving four troops dead.

Subsequent talks between Cambodia and Thailand have not resolved the dispute.

The border between the two countries has never been fully demarcated, in part because it is littered with landmines left over from decades of war in Cambodia.

Cambodian, Thai soldiers exchange fire at border (Update from Bangkok)

Apr 3, 2009
DPA

Phnom Penh/Bangkok - Cambodian and Thai soldiers exchanged gunfire Friday morning at a disputed border area where a fatal skirmish between the South-East Asian neighbours erupted last year, officials from both countries confirmed.

No casualties were reported in the clash at the 11th-century Preah Vihear temple, Cambodian government spokesman Phay Siphan said.

He said about a dozen Thai troops crossed the border about 7.15 am (0015 GMT) and were immediately confronted by Cambodian soldiers.

However, Thai army spokeswoman Colonel Sirichan Ngathong said the brief skirmish started after a team of Thai investigating soldiers went to the disputed area to find out how a Thai soldier had earlier stepped on a landmine and been badly injured.

When the soldiers where confronted by Cambodian troops the two sides at first talked but the Cambodian side fired shots that triggered an exchange of fire lasting perhaps 10 minutes, she said.

No Thai troops were hurt in the clash. Local regional commanders will meet later on Friday with their Cambodian counterparts somewhere nearby to cool things down, Sirichan added.

The firefight came a day after a Thai soldier was badly injured by a landmine near the site, which both countries claim falls within their territory.

Thailand and Cambodia nearly came to blows over the Preah Vihear temple in July, shortly after UNESCO named the ancient Hindu temple a World Heritage Site despite Thai objections. Both countries have kept a troop presence at in the area.

The temple, the object of disputed claims between Thailand and Cambodia since the 1950s, was granted to Cambodia by a ruling of the International Court of Justice in 1962.

But land adjacent to the temple compound, including its main entrance on the Thai side, has been claimed by both countries.

Gunfire on Thai-Cambodian border

Friday, 3 April 2009
BBC News

Troops from Thailand and Cambodia have exchanged fire in a border area that both countries claim, officials say.

The incident happened early on Friday near the ancient temple of Preah Vihear, which has been the scene of a number of clashes in recent months.

A Cambodian spokesman said troops opened fire when Thai soldiers entered their territory.

There were no reports of injuries. A Thai military official said it had been a "misunderstanding", Reuters said.

An international court awarded Preah Vihear temple to Cambodia in 1962, but the land surrounding it remains the subject of rival territorial claims.

Soldiers from the two countries have been stationed in the area since tensions increased in July last year. Two Cambodian soldiers were killed at the site in October in a gun battle.

Last week, Cambodia accused Thai troops of crossing over briefly into its territory.

On Thursday, a Thai soldier was injured after stepping on a landmine at the site, which was probably left over from the Khmer Rouge era.

Cambodian, Thai soldiers exchange fire at border

Apr 3, 2009
DPA

Phnom Penh - Cambodian and Thai soldiers exchanged gunfire Friday morning at a disputed border area where a fatal skirmish between the South-East Asian neighbours erupted last year, a government spokesman in Phnom Penh said.

No casualties were reported in the clash at the ninth-century Preah Vihear temple, government spokesman Phay Siphan said.

He said about a dozen Thai troops crossed the border about 7.15 am (0015 GMT) and were immediately confronted by Cambodian soldiers.

The firefight came a day after a Thai soldier was badly injured by a landmine at the site, which both countries claim falls within their territory.

Both countries amassed troops at border in July after the temple was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Cambodian troops open fire at Thai border

2009-04-03

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) - Cambodian troops said Friday a brief gunfight broke out with Thai soldiers at their tense border near the 11th century Preah Vihear temple, the site of increasingly regular conflicts between the neighbors.

Cambodian troops fired on some 60 Thai soldiers after they entered Cambodian territory, sparking a gun battle that lasted about 10 minutes, said Yim Kheang, a Cambodian soldier at the border. He said no Cambodian soldiers were wounded.

«We are on alert, and we are ready for fighting at any time,» he told The Associated Press. «If Thai soldiers come here, Cambodian soldiers will open fire without warning.

Thai military officials could not immediately be reached for comment.

The two sides regularly dispute each others' claims.

On Thursday, a Thai soldier in the area lost his leg after stepping on a land mine, but Thai and Cambodian military officials disagreed over which country he was in at the time.

The cliff-top Preah Vihear temple, near the countries' ill-defined border, has been a source of conflict for decades.

Troops from both countries have been stationed at the border since July 2008, and two clashes near the temple last year sparked brief concerns of war.

Cambodia and Thailand share a 500-mile (800-kilometer) land border, much of which has never been clearly demarcated because the countries refer to different maps.

Thai, Cambodian troops exchange gunfire at border area

PHNOM PENH, April 3 (Xinhua) -- Thai and Cambodian troops had a brief exchange of gunfire Friday morning near the 900-year-old Preah Vihear temple at the border area, said a government spokesman.

The crossfire occurred around 07:15 local time (0015GMT), after a number of Thai soldiers trespassed on the Eagle Field, a piece of Cambodian soil, said Phay Siphan, spokesman of the Council of Ministers.

So far, there has been no reports of casualties, he added.

On Thursday, one Thai soldier lost his leg over a mine explosion in the same area.

Some 40 Thai soldiers intruded into the Cambodian territory at 08:20 local time (0120 GMT) and one of them, who was identified as Chalong Mody, stepped on a previously-planted mine, said a press release from the Council of Ministers.

There were "a few rounds of Thai firing (into the air) to cover their troops" and rescue the injured soldier, but the Cambodian soldiers just "firmly" held themselves up, without "striking back at this moment," it added.

Since July 2008, troops from both sides have stationed near the Preah Vihear temple, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and two armed clashes last year sparked brief concerns of war.

Thai, Cambodia troops clash near disputed temple

PHNOM PENH, April 3 (Reuters) - Thai and Cambodian soldiers exchanged rifle and rocket fire on their disputed border near an ancient Hindu temple on Friday, but there were no reports of casualties, officials from both countries said.

"The armed clash began when Thai soldiers entered Cambodian territory. We fired rockets at the Thai soldiers," Cambodia's government spokesman Phay Siphan told Reuters.

In Bangkok, Thai Major General Kanok NetraKaveysana confirmed there had been a brief firefight early in the morning, but he had no reports of wounded or dead.

"It was a misunderstanding and it has been resolved," he said, without explaining further.

The fighting erupted a day after a Thai soldier was badly wounded when he stepped on a landmine near the 900-year-old Preah Vihear temple, where both sides have stationed troops since armed clashes in the area last year.

Tensions rose last month when 100 Thai troops crossed into a disputed area near the temple and were stopped by Cambodian soldiers, but no fighting occurred. The border had been quiet for months while the Southeast Asian neighbours sought to jointly demarcate the jungle-clad area where one Thai and three Cambodian soldiers died in last year's exchange of rifle and rocket fire.

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.

Chor Seam Tream Plonn Khmer - "Thai thief plans to rob Khmer": A Poem in Khmer by Sam Vichea and Yim Guechsè

Click on the poem to zoom in

Poem in Khmer by Sam Vichea (on the web at http://kamnapkumnou.blogspot.com)
and Yim Guechsè (on the web at http://kamnapyimguechse.blogspot.com)

Sam Rainsy places not much hope on the Cambodian-Thai border negotiations

Friday, March 27, 2009
Kampuchea Thmei
Translated from Khmer by Socheata

Opposition leader Sam Rainsy called on the Cambodian government to bring the border dispute issue between Cambodia and Thailand to the attention of the signatories of the 1991 Paris Peace Accord, in order to find a quick solution to the problem.

Sam Rainsy predicted that if the Cambodian government still places its confidence of Thailand for the bilateral talks, the border dispute will reach an impasse.

Sam Rainsy told Kampuchea Thmei that he will travel to Thailand this morning to participate in the World Economic Forum, but that he will not raise this border issue during this forum. The reason he will not raise this issue himself is because he considers that this is a government task, and not a prerogative for the opposition.

Nevertheless, as a Cambodian citizen, Sam Rainsy does not want to see foreign aggression on Cambodia either. Under the present condition, Cambodians must unite and they should set aside the political affiliation. As for the government which is responsible for leading the country, it should pay attention to the border issues, Sam Rainsy indicated. But to him, the best solution would be for the government to revisit the 23 October 1991 Paris Peace Accord on Cambodia which stipulates a packaged solution to the border dispute through the help of the signatories of the accord. “I think that the bilateral meetings are useless because, we already know the lack of outcome from the past meetings. Therefore, the best approach is for the government to ask for a meeting of the signatory countries to the Paris Accord to have them help resolve this issue.”

At the Veal Entry near Preah Vihear temple, the situation has not improved yet even though Thai troops have pulled out. Cambodian troops are still on alert and stand ready to fight.

Hing Bun Heang, the deputy army chief of staff and commander of Hun Sen’s bodyguards unit, told Kampuchea Thmei that the situation in Veal Entry is quiet but soldiers still stand ready to fight. Hing Bun Heang said that Thai soldiers who trespassed into Cambodia on 25 and 26 March have pulled back. All the Cambodian soldiers are determined to defend and prevent Thai soldiers from entering Veal Entry.

An army officer indicated that there will be armed confrontation if the Thai soldiers continue to trespass. Thai soldiers are prohibited from crossing a small road in front of Veal Entry which delimits the temporary border between the two countries. If the Thai soldiers violate this borderline, fighting will ensue immediately and there will be no need to ask for the decision from the higher ups.

This army officer also said that in the morning of 25 March, Thai soldiers with camouflage-clad uniforms have trespassed into the Veal Entry. At that time, fighting almost exploded, but at 6:15AM(?), more than 100 Thai soldiers agreed to pull out.

Then, at 9:30AM on 26 March, 30 additional Thai soldiers trespassed one more time with the support of more than 100 Thai soldiers backing them. At 1:35PM, they pulled out when Cambodian troops were ordered to hold their fire, should they not sleep.

An official from the Cambodian ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the day which the Thai soldiers trespassed into Veal Entry, it was the same day that Thai MPs were disputing at their parliament. This official said that, in the Thai parliament, the dispute between Thai MPs stemmed from the border issue with Cambodia.

Thai-Cambodia border calm after temple stand-off [-Phay Siphan in contradiction with Soy Sopheap's Deum Ampil news?]

PHNOM PENH, March 26 (Reuters) - A brief stand-off between Thai and Cambodian troops near a 900-year-old Hindu temple has ended peacefully after the Thais withdrew to their side of the disputed border, a Cambodian official said on Thursday.

Tensions rose on Wednesday after 100 armed Thai soldiers entered a disputed area near the Preah Vihear temple, where a firefight last year triggered a military build-up on both sides of the border.

"Everything is back to normal on the border after the Thais returned to their territory," Cambodian government spokesman Phay Siphan said.

Thai officials said their troop movements were not hostile but part of a routine rotation on the border.

The area had been quiet for months after the Southeast Asian neighbours agreed to jointly demarcate the jungle-clad area, where one Thai and three Cambodian soldiers died in last October's exchange of rifle and rocket fire.

Siphan said the joint border committee would meet in the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh, in the first week of April.

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 square km) of scrub next to the ruins, leaving considerable scope for disagreement.

Since last year's clashes, both sides have agreed to develop the area for tourism.

(Reporting by Ek Madra; Editing by Darren Schuettler)

Preah Vihear temple raises Thai-Cambodian tensions

After last October’s clashes, which left four soldiers dead, the movement of 100 Thai troops into the disputed area causes alarm. Both governments try to downplay the incident.

Phnom Penh (AsiaNews/Agencies) – Tensions between Cambodia and Thailand flared up suddenly today when Thai troops crossed into a disputed area near the Preah Vihear temple claimed by both countries. Last October, clashes left four soldiers dead.

Thai soldiers entered the area where they were faced by Cambodian troops, but both sides quickly issued statements in order to avoid clashes.

"We are trying to push the Thais back to their border through negotiation. We do not want violence again,” Cambodian government spokesman Phay Siphan said.

“Both sides move their troops from time to time. We inform our Cambodian friends of our movements and vice versa,” Major General Kanok NetraKaveysana said.

An old Hindu temple, Preah Vihear was built in the 12th century.

Sitting on an escarpment the temple became an issue when in July of last year UNESCO decided to list it as a World Heritage Site. The International Court of Justice had already awarded it to Cambodia in 1962.

The original ruling did not however determine the ownership of a 4.6 sq km area of scrub next to the ruins.

In the wake of last October’s clashes Thailand and Cambodia agreed to demarcate the border once for all.

Thai troops 'cross into Cambodia'

Wednesday, 25 March 2009
BBC News

Thai soldiers have reportedly entered Cambodia near a disputed temple where the two sides briefly exchanged fire last year.

A spokesman for Cambodia's government said that about 100 troops had crossed the border.

A Thai border commander denied there had been any troop movements and said there had been no increase in tension.

Thailand and Cambodia both lay claim to the temple area. Despite several rounds of talks, a settlement remains elusive.

Soldiers from the two countries have been stationed in the area since the clashes in July last year.

Temple tensions

Cambodian government spokesman Phay Siphan told reporters that Thai troops had gone about a kilometre into Cambodian territory.

"We are negotiating with their commanders to ask them to leave the area now because it is Cambodian territory," he said.

Col Pichit Nakarun, a Thai army commander at the border, denied any Thai troops had crossed the border.

"The situation is not more tense than usual," he told the Associated Press.

An international court awarded the Preah Vihear temple to Cambodia in 1962 but land surrounding it remains the subject of rival territorial claims.

Last year Unesco decided to list it as a World Heritage Site, reigniting lingering tensions over unresolved border disputes.

Thai troops moved into an area both sides claim after Cambodian guards arrested three Thai protesters there.

Both sides then rapidly increased their military presence at the site, and in October two Cambodian soldiers were killed in an exchange of gunfire.

Cambodia threatens retaliation, say Thai soldiers crossed border

Wed, 25 Mar 2009
DPA

Phnom Penh - Cambodia on Wednesday threatened to use military force against up to 80 Thai soldiers who reportedly entered a disputed border region and set up camp, officials said. Government spokesman Phay Siphan said Cambodian military police threatened to open fire unless the Thai soldiers retreated from the area near the ancient Preah Vihear temple site, where a fatal skirmish between Cambodia and Thailand erupted last year.

The Thai soldiers entered the area Wednesday afternoon and were immediately confronted by Cambodian military police, Phay Siphan said.

He said Cambodian military officials were negotiating with their Thai counterparts to prevent an armed confrontation.

A Cambodian military police officer who asked not to be named said hundreds of additional Thai soldiers were stationed on the other side of the border.

Both countries say the 11th-century Hindu temple falls within their borders, and the South-East Asian neighbours amassed troops along the border in July after UNESCO named the temple a World Heritage Site.

Thai, Cambodian troops face off again near temple

PHNOM PENH, March 25 (Reuters) - Thai and Cambodian soldiers faced each other near a 900-year-old Hindu temple on their disputed border on Wednesday, but both sides pledged to avoid a repeat of last year's armed clashes.

Tensions rose when 100 Thai troops crossed into a disputed area near the Preah Vihear temple and were stopped by Cambodian soldiers, Cambodian government spokesman Phay Siphan said.

"We are trying to push the Thais back to their border through negotiation. We do not want violence again," he said, referring to a firefight that killed 4 soldiers last October.

Thailand's military commander in the area said the troop movements were routine.

"Both sides move their troops from time to time. We inform our Cambodian friends of our movements and vice versa," Major General Kanok NetraKaveysana told Reuters.

The border had been quiet for months while the Southeast Asian neighbours sought to jointly demarcate the jungle-clad area where one Thai and three Cambodian soldiers died in last year's exchange of rifle and rocket fire.

Cambodia's deputy military commander in chief, General Kun Kim, said the Thais had only entered the disputed area and had not crossed into Cambodian territory.

"We would have shot the Thai soldiers if they had crossed into our land," he told Reuters by telephone from the border.

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.

Thai soldiers pull back from encroachment into Cambodia

PHNOM PENH, Mar. 25, 2009 (Kyodo News International) -- A tense standoff between Thai and Cambodian troops ended late Wednesday afternoon when as many as 100 fully armed Thai soldiers pulled back from Cambodian territory near a disputed border temple.

Gen. Yim Pim, commander of Cambodia's Brigade 43 in the area, told Kyodo News the Thai troops returned to their previous position around 5 p.m., about four hours after crossing into Cambodian territory.

The general said that after negotiations between the two sides the Thai troops agreed to leave the dispute up to a joint Cambodian-Thai border commission.

Earlier Wednesday, Phay Siphan, spokesman for Cambodia's Council of Ministers, told Kyodo News the Thai troops crossed into Cambodia at 1:45 p.m. at a site known as Eagle Field where the Cambodian and Thai militaries had a tense confrontation last year.

Eagle Field is about 2 kilometers west of the disputed Preah Vihear Temple.

Initial reports said the Thai troops planned to reoccupy the area, but the Cambodians wanted them to return to their previous position about 800 meters away.

In Bangkok, Thai army sources rejected Cambodia's version of the incursion.

In late February, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen met with his Thai counterpart on the sidelines of the ASEAN summit in Thailand, during which the two leaders reaffirmed their intent to solve the seven-month-old border dispute, but they set no deadline.

The area near Preah Vihear Temple was the scene of a tense standoff between Cambodian and Thai armed forces that left several dead on both sides. The situation has since eased, but the military presence remains.

The Cambodian government insists that Thai troops are deployed on Cambodian soil, while Thailand says its troops are only in a disputed zone.

Since the border issue erupted last year, many rounds of talks at different levels, including at the defense and foreign ministerial levels, have been held but a concrete agreement or solution has proved elusive.

Cambodian spokesman: At least 80 Thai troops with arms enter border area of Cambodia

PHNOM PENH, March 25 (Xinhua) -- At least 80 Thai troops entered the Cambodian territory near the 110-year-old Preah Viheartemple, spokesman of the Council of Ministers said here on Wednesday.

They arrived in our land about 01:40 p.m. (0640 GMT), with weapons in their hands, Phay Siphan told Xinhua by phone.

"Our army commanders have been discussing with them to ask them to go back to their own lands," said the spokesman, who is also secretary of state at the Council of Ministers.

There was no fighting so far, but both sides were on alert, he said.

The area they entered was called Veal Intry, about 900 meters to the northwest of the Preah Vihear temple, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, he added.

Thai soldiers once trespassed this area in July 2008 and exchanged fire with the Cambodian troops, causing death and casualty on both sides.

Rounds of senior-level talks have been conducted since then to seek peaceful solution for the long-standing border issue, but resulted in no major achievements.

Senior Thai army officer denies news report of troop crossing Cambodian border

BANGKOK, March 25 (Xinhua) -- Thailand's senior army officer denied on Wednesday a news report, which said that Thailand's troop did cross the border to Cambodia.

According to the news report by a foreign news agency, Cambodian officials disclosed that on Wednesday Thai soldiers had entered into Cambodia near a disputed temple, where the two neighboring countries briefly exchanged fire last year.

About 100 troops had crossed the border, the foreign news agency quoted a spokesman for Cambodia's Council of Ministers as saying.

But, Lt-Gen. Wiboonsak Neeparn, Thailand's Second Army Region commander refused the news report. Thai soldiers had just surveyed sources of water due to the drought problem, Lt-Gen. Wiboonsak told Xinhua during a telephone interview.

Significantly, the water sources are located on an area which has not been demarcated, said the Thai Second Army Region commander.

And, this disputed borderland has been guarded by both Thai and Cambodian soldiers for six months, said Lt-Gen. Wiboonsak.

Right now, the situation returns to normal as the two sides have realized the survey of the sources of the water by the Thai troop created misunderstanding among the Cambodian soldiers, said Lt-Gen. Wiboonsak.

Thai troops accused of crossing Cambodia border

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (CNN) -- Nearly 100 Thai soldiers crossed into Cambodian territory Wednesday near a disputed border temple that was the site of clashes last year, Cambodian officials said.

Cambodian troops guard the Preah Vihear temple late last year amid heightened tensions with Thailand.

The Thai army denied the claim.

Thai soldiers crossed into the area of the 11th century Preah Vihear temple about 1:40 p.m., said Phay Siphan, secretary of the Cambodian Council of Ministers.

The two sides did not fight and Cambodia has asked Thailand to pull back.

Thai Army Col. Sansern Kaewkumnerd said the troop movement was part of a normal rotation and that Thai soldiers had not gone anywhere they were not permitted to be.

For months last year, the two countries saber-rattled over the ancient temple. The nations differ on whether some territory around the temple forms part of Thailand or Cambodia.

Both countries posted troops in the area after the United Nations in July approved Cambodia's application to have the temple listed as a World Heritage Site -- a place the United Nations says has outstanding universal value.

The temple sits atop a cliff on Cambodian soil but has its most accessible entrance on the Thai side.

The International Court of Justice awarded the temple to Cambodia in 1962. Thailand claims, however, that the 1.8 square mile (4.6 sq. km) area around it was never fully demarcated.

Thailand says the dispute arose from the fact that the Cambodian government used a map drawn during the French occupation of Cambodia -- a map that places the temple and surrounding area in Cambodian territory.

The United Nations' decision re-ignited tensions, with some in Thailand fearing it will make it difficult for their country to lay claim to disputed land around the temple.

Last year's flare-up began July 15, when Cambodian guards briefly detained three Thais who crossed into the area. Once they were let go, the three refused to leave the territory.

Cambodia claimed Thailand sent troops to retrieve the trio and gradually built up their numbers. Thailand denied that, saying its troops are deployed in Thai territory.