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Thai troops 'cross into Cambodia' | Thai troops 'cross into Cambodia' |
(41 minutes later) | |
About 40 Thai troops have crossed into Cambodian territory in the latest flare-up of a dispute over an ancient temple, Cambodian officials have said. | About 40 Thai troops have crossed into Cambodian territory in the latest flare-up of a dispute over an ancient temple, Cambodian officials have said. |
The head of the national authority for the Preah Vihear temple said there was a stand-off, but had been no shooting. | The head of the national authority for the Preah Vihear temple said there was a stand-off, but had been no shooting. |
Thai military officials said soldiers had been deployed on Thai territory nearby "to protect our sovereignty". | Thai military officials said soldiers had been deployed on Thai territory nearby "to protect our sovereignty". |
Earlier, three Thai protesters were arrested for illegally crossing the border in an attempt to enter the site. | Earlier, three Thai protesters were arrested for illegally crossing the border in an attempt to enter the site. |
The 11th-Century Hindu temple and the land around it have been the subject of a border dispute for decades. | |
'Misunderstanding' | |
The head of the agency in charge of the temple site, Hang Soth, said the Thai soldiers had positioned themselves at a Buddhist pagoda located on a mountain slope below and were now negotiating with the Cambodian authorities. | |
There is no trespassing by our soldiers Seni ChittakasemGovernor of Si Sa Ket Province class="" href="/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/7352333.stm">Tranquil temple at centre of a storm | |
"At first about 20 troops entered a pagoda in Cambodian territory. Later they increased their numbers to about 40," he told the AFP news agency. "We don't understand yet why they came." | |
Hang Soth said that Cambodian troops in the area had been placed on alert but ordered not to open fire first, and that there had not been any shooting. | |
Thai officials later denied their troops had entered Cambodian soil. | |
The regional Thai army commander, Maj-Gen Kanok Netakawesana, said they were on Thai territory close to the disputed area. | |
"We have every right to deploy troops here to protect our sovereignty," he told the Associated Press. | |
The governor of the neighbouring Thai province of Si Sa Ket, Seni Chittakasem, insisted there had been a misunderstanding. | |
"There is no trespassing by our soldiers," he said. | |
The Preah Vihear temple was awarded to Cambodia by the International Court of Justice in 1962, forcing Thai troops who had occupied the area to withdraw. | |
It then became caught up in Cambodia's civil conflict, falling to the Khmer Rouge in 1975 and only being opened to the public in 1998. | |
The dispute has escalated since Cambodia applied for World Heritage status for the temple, which was granted by Unesco this month. | |
The application was endorsed by Thai Foreign Minister Noppadon Pattama, but this caused controversy in Thailand and he resigned last week after a court ruled he had breached the constitution. |