Oct. 16 (Bloomberg) -- United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called on Thailand and Cambodia to resolve their border dispute peacefully after two soldiers were reportedly killed in clashes yesterday.
Both sides must ``exercise the utmost restraint'' and hold talks, Ban's office said in a statement late yesterday. The U.S. State Department echoed his call.
The violence yesterday came a day after Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen warned Thailand to remove its troops from the disputed border area near the Preah Vihear temple, a UN World Heritage Site. Thailand said it would ``exercise its right of self-defense'' if fired upon.
Two Cambodian soldiers died in the fighting and two were wounded, Agence France-Presse reported, citing the country's foreign minister, Hor Namhong. Military officials from both countries will meet in Thailand today to discuss troop levels and weaponry, AFP said.
State Department spokesman Sean McCormack called on the Southeast Asian neighbors to ``refrain from any use of violence or any provocation'' and to resolve their differences ``via political channels.''
In 1962, the International Court of Justice ruled in a 9-3 vote that Cambodia had sovereignty over Preah Vihear.
The conflict over land near the site started in June, when Thailand agreed to support Cambodia's bid to list the Hindu temple as a protected UN monument. A nationalist Thai group opposed the move, prompting the government to withdraw support for the UN listing.
Military Standoff
Tensions between the countries worsened in July after Thai troops entered the disputed area around Preah Vihear, prompting a military standoff that almost went before the UN Security Council. The countries agreed to withdraw troops on July 29, though subsequent meetings failed to produce a lasting resolution.
Thai Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat described yesterday's exchange of gunfire as a ``small clash'' and called for negotiations. He said earlier this week the conflict could be resolved through an existing committee set up by the neighbors to demarcate the border.
State-run Thai Airways International Pcl may help evacuate 1,000 Thais from the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh, if the situation worsens, said Tharit Charungvat, a spokesman for Thailand's Foreign Ministry. Another 500 Thais live in Siem Reap, near Angkor Wat temple, he said.
After the clashes ended yesterday, Cambodian and Thai officials released statements blaming each other for the fighting, AFP reported.
``Cambodia strongly protests against these repeated and very serious armed provocations by Thailand which would lead to large scale armed hostilities between the two countries,'' Hor Namhong said in a statement.
``We were not the first to fire the shots,'' Thai Foreign Ministry spokesman Tharit said.
Lieutenant General Wiboonsak Neeparn, the army commander for northeastern Thailand, said five Thai soldiers were injured, AFP reported.
To contact the reporters on this story: Daniel Ten Kate in Bangkok at dtenkate@bloomberg.net; Ed Johnson in Sydney at ejohnson28@bloomberg.net.
Both sides must ``exercise the utmost restraint'' and hold talks, Ban's office said in a statement late yesterday. The U.S. State Department echoed his call.
The violence yesterday came a day after Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen warned Thailand to remove its troops from the disputed border area near the Preah Vihear temple, a UN World Heritage Site. Thailand said it would ``exercise its right of self-defense'' if fired upon.
Two Cambodian soldiers died in the fighting and two were wounded, Agence France-Presse reported, citing the country's foreign minister, Hor Namhong. Military officials from both countries will meet in Thailand today to discuss troop levels and weaponry, AFP said.
State Department spokesman Sean McCormack called on the Southeast Asian neighbors to ``refrain from any use of violence or any provocation'' and to resolve their differences ``via political channels.''
In 1962, the International Court of Justice ruled in a 9-3 vote that Cambodia had sovereignty over Preah Vihear.
The conflict over land near the site started in June, when Thailand agreed to support Cambodia's bid to list the Hindu temple as a protected UN monument. A nationalist Thai group opposed the move, prompting the government to withdraw support for the UN listing.
Military Standoff
Tensions between the countries worsened in July after Thai troops entered the disputed area around Preah Vihear, prompting a military standoff that almost went before the UN Security Council. The countries agreed to withdraw troops on July 29, though subsequent meetings failed to produce a lasting resolution.
Thai Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat described yesterday's exchange of gunfire as a ``small clash'' and called for negotiations. He said earlier this week the conflict could be resolved through an existing committee set up by the neighbors to demarcate the border.
State-run Thai Airways International Pcl may help evacuate 1,000 Thais from the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh, if the situation worsens, said Tharit Charungvat, a spokesman for Thailand's Foreign Ministry. Another 500 Thais live in Siem Reap, near Angkor Wat temple, he said.
After the clashes ended yesterday, Cambodian and Thai officials released statements blaming each other for the fighting, AFP reported.
``Cambodia strongly protests against these repeated and very serious armed provocations by Thailand which would lead to large scale armed hostilities between the two countries,'' Hor Namhong said in a statement.
``We were not the first to fire the shots,'' Thai Foreign Ministry spokesman Tharit said.
Lieutenant General Wiboonsak Neeparn, the army commander for northeastern Thailand, said five Thai soldiers were injured, AFP reported.
To contact the reporters on this story: Daniel Ten Kate in Bangkok at dtenkate@bloomberg.net; Ed Johnson in Sydney at ejohnson28@bloomberg.net.
