The Thai forces and Cambodian shock to 3rd day

Fighting erupted again Sunday along the border of Cambodia and the Thailand after two days of clashes that killed at least 10 soldiers and forced the evacuation of thousands of civilians.

A Cambodian soldier stands guard in July last to a gateway to the temple of Preah Vihear on the Thai border Cambodia. (Heng Sinith/Associated Press)

The dispute between the neighbours stems from their competing claims over small strips of land along the border, with nationalist political fuelling tensions. Clashes have erupted several times since 2008, when temple of Preah Vihear 11th century Cambodia was granted the status of A World Heritage Thai objections.

The current round of clashes, which began Friday, are the first border skirmishes reported since February, when eight soldiers and civilians have been killed near the temple of Preah Vihear. The latest fighting took place about 160 kilometres west of here.

Colonel Suos Sothea, a commander Cambodian, confirmed evidence that a battle of artillery began at the border shortly before 10: 00 a.m. local time on Sunday. In Bangkok, the Thai army spokesman colonel Sansern Kaewkamnerd reports the same information.

There was no immediate reports of victims.

Secretary General of the United Nations Ban Ki-moon, has called for Cambodia and the Thailand to implement an effective and verifiable ceasefire.

A declaration of an end Saturday said ban believes that the dispute cannot be resolved by military means, so the two countries must engage in a serious dialogue to resolve the underlying problems.

Outbreak of Sunday came after it appeared that calm could have been restored. Witnesses on the Cambodian side said an important border post which had been closed for two days was reopened and Thai media said some some 20 000 civilians who had been evacuated from the combat zone began to move to the House.

Each side accused of the departure of the latest fighting, which involved mainly artillery duels long distance to the other.

Thai villagers seek shelter Saturday in a makeshift refugee camp set up in a school about 30 kilometres from the Thai-Cambodia border. Thousands of villagers were evacuated from the region in cross-border hostilities. (Sukree Sukplang/Reuters)

The Thailand dismissed charges Saturday that he had used chemical weapons against the Cambodian troops.

A statement by the Cambodian Defence Ministry charged that the Thailand had shot 75 and 105-mm shells at "loading of the toxic gas" in Cambodian territory, but has no details. A Cambodian field commander said separately that the Thailand had used two shells of cluster - anti-personnel weapons banned by many countries - and the artillery shells that gave a debilitating gas.

Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya said Thais allegations were not true, and colonel Tawatchai Samutsakorn, Commander of 2nd army region the Thailand, denied that submunitions or toxic gas bombs had been employed by its forces.

Tawatchai said a Thai soldier died Saturday, bringing the victim toll to four dead and 17 injured. Suos Sothea said three Cambodian soldiers were killed Saturday, with victims of Cambodia's two days to six. Suos Sothea said he could not give a precise count of the injured.

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Cambodian commander says that use Thai troops cluster bombs, toxic smoke - Xinhua

PHNOM PENH, April 23, Xinhua)-Thai forces used area in the Temple of Ta Mon Thom and Ta Krabey the border cluster bombs and toxic smoke in the armed clashes on Saturday morning about controversial province of Oddar Meanchey province, said Cambodian Commander on Saturday.

"they (Thai troops) have on not only toxic smoke released our troops, but they have to attack to the cluster bombs Cambodian troops and surrounding villages" Suos Sothea, Deputy Commander of the unit artillery, to the media in the fields of battle on Saturday.

The fighting began at 6:15 pm and lasted until 10:25 am, he said.

"There were no rumbles gunfire explosions at 10:25 pm, but we don't know if the fighting or stopped, it comes on the Thai side," he said.

He said that Saturday morning clashes had injured some Cambodian soldiers, but it declined to disclose the exact number.

This is the second consecutive day of military conflict between Cambodia and Thai troops on the disputed border areas clashes claimed at least six lives of both sides forces after Friday and more than a dozen injured, and forced thousands of local sides home to escape.

The recent military confrontation reoccurred just over two months after the deadly clash on Feb. 4-7 on the disputed border area next to the Preah Vihear temple, a world heritage site.

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Thai military denies using toxic gas in the battle of Cambodian border

April 23, 2011, 11: 38 am EDT by Daniel Ten Kate

April 24 (Bloomberg) - Thailand, denied the accusations that his soldiers have used toxic gas against Cambodian troops in the bloodiest fighting along the disputed border since tensions broke out three years ago.

Battles which began April 22 killed five Thai and six Cambodian, according to army officials of, and reports, ending two months of peace since the United Nations Security Council urged a permanent ceasefire on February 14 of press. Used Thai soldiers "guns heavy loading of the toxic gas" fighting yesterday, Ministry of defence of Cambodia said in a statement. "Cambodians are really incredible for a story like that," Veerachon Sukondhadhpatipak, Deputy spokesman of the Thai army, said by telephone from Bangkok. "" " They still make stories publish us poorly. "The resumption of the fighting at the time when the Prime Minister of Thailand Abhisit Vejjajiva is preparing to call an election in early May. The Thailand member is causing clashes raise his popularity in the event where he stages an another coup, the Cambodian Government Phay Siphan said by telephone from Phnom Penh, the capital. "The Thai military to move against us so they can say they are protecting Thai land and earn the credibility of their people,"he says. "We are a small country and we cannot afford to take Thai land." We need peace to build our country. "Southeast Asian neighbors have blamed each other for cause the battles which took place several hundred kilometres west of border clashes in February near the temple of Preah Vihear a world heritage site. Ministry of defence of Cambodia, said Thai troops were aimed to support the temples in dispute, while said Abhisit Thailand would not invade its neighbours and reprisal of the Cambodian attack. "International rules"our movements are consistent with international rules", Abhisit said today in a weekly televised speech. "In our retaliation, we attack military points only.". Our retaliation will be appropriate with Cambodian attacks. "Five Thai soldiers died in the two days of fighting, said Veerachon. Fighting also killed six Cambodian soldiers, Xinhua Chinese news agency reported, citing Suos Sothea, a commander of a unit of artillery on the border.Clashes resume tensions along the border escalated in 2008 after the Thailand opposed efforts in Cambodia to list temple of Preah Vihear as a World Heritage Site. Fighting in February was at least 10 dead and 30 000 people travel.The Thailand refused to accept observers from the border of the Indonesia, which holds the rotating Presidency of the 10 Association members of Southeast Asia Nations.International Arena "the shock of the latter is another attempt by Cambodia to raise bilateral dispute on the international scene."said today accused Abhisit.Cambodge Thailand of the use of cluster bombs during the fighting in February, a charge confirmed by established the United Kingdom Cluster Munition Coalition, which grows to an international ban on the weapons these munitions scatter over a large area to the detonation. Cambodia and the Thailand are not among the 108 countries which have signed the Convention on Cluster Munitions.In 1962, the International Court of Justice decided in a vote of 9-3 that Cambodia had the sovereignty of Preah Vihear. He did not rule on the lands surrounding the temple, and the two countries have not yet reconciled 10,422 miles square (26,993 square kilometres) waters contested in the Gulf of Thailand which can contain oil and gas reserves.264 Billion in the Thailand economy is more than 26 times the size of Cambodia. The Cambodian army spent $ 191 million in 2009, compared with 4.9 billion for the military in Thailand, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.

-With the help of Suttinee Yuvejwattana in Bangkok. Editors: Paul Tighe, Anand Krishnamoorthy

To contact the reporter on this story: Daniel Ten Kate in Bangkok to dtenkate@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Paul Tighe at the ptighe@bloomberg.net

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