Cambodian, Thai Border Fighting Still Continues: Spokesman

PHNOM PENH, April 23 (Bernama) -- The gunfire exchange between Cambodian and Thai troops over the border disputed area at the Ta Mon Thom temple and Ta Krabey temple in Oddar Meanchey province still continues, reports China's Xinhua news agency.

Chhum Socheat, spokesman for the Cambodian Ministry of Defence, said Saturday that the clash began at 6:15 when Thai troops started their attack on Cambodian troops stationed at the Ta Mon Temple and then at 6:40 a.m., Thai troops expanded their attacks on Cambodian troops stationed at the Ta Krabey temple.

As of 8:40 a.m., the fighting still continues.

"The fighting is on a large-scale as Thai troops have been using all types of sophisticated weapons -- heavy guns, machine guns, and artilleries to fire onto the temples and civil habitats around the areas," he said.

Immediate casualties are not available, he said.

Pich Sokhin, provincial governor of Cambodia's Oddar Meanchey province, said that the provincial authority is using trucks to evacuate villagers from the nearby fighting areas.

"As of 9:10 a.m. this morning, a large-scale attack still continues and it's reported that some of our soldiers were injured, " he told Xinhua by telephone on Saturday.

"And we have evacuated 595 families living nearby the fighting areas to a safe shelter in the province's Sarong district, some 30 kilometers from the battle fields," he added.

This is the second consecutive day of military clashes between Cambodian and Thai troops over the border disputed areas, after Friday's clashes claimed at least 6 lives of both sides' troops and injured over a dozen, forced thousands of locals on both sides to flee home.

The most recent military clash recurred just more than two months after the deadly clash on Feb 4-7 at the border disputed area next to the Preah Vihear temple, a World Heritage Site.