Cambodian Prime Minister Hun
Sen ordered fresh troops to the border with an ultimatum to
Thailand: Pull military forces back today or the border will become
a "life and death battle zone".
Hun Sen told reporters in
Phnom Penh that he had warned Thailand's visiting Foreign Minister
Sompong Amornvivat that without a quick pullout, Thai soldiers
could face being fired upon by Cambodian troops in "large-scale
armed conflict".
"If they cannot withdraw
tonight, they must withdraw tomorrow," said Hun Sen.
"We have tried to be patient,
but I told the Thai foreign minister today that the area is a
life-and-death battle zone."
His comments came after talks
with Mr Sompong in Phnom Penh.
Mr Sompong also met with his
counterpart Hor Namhong in a bid to resolve the dispute over the
area near the ancient Preah Vihear temple.
The Cambodian foreign minister
said yesterday's talks failed to end in agreement because his Thai
opposite number "could not sign anything".
Hun Sen and Hor Namhong both
told reporters that Cambodia could choose to take the border
dispute before an international court if it was not resolved
soon.
The comments made by the
Cambodian prime minister and foreign minister surprised Mr Sompong
and Thai officials, who were adamant that the meetings had not been
a failure.
Mr Sompong said the tone
during the meetings between the two countries had been different as
the Cambodian leaders agreed that both sides had to be patient in
resolving the border spat.
He said no Thai troop
withdrawals would be made from the 4.6 sq km overlapping area
between Kantharalak district in Si Sa Ket and Preah Vihear province
of Cambodia until the dispute over ownership is cleared through
negotiations in the Joint Boundary Commission that was set up to
demarcate the land border.
Thailand reiterated its
ownership over the area, Mr Sompong said in Bangkok and rushed to
report the talks to Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat.
Suranaree Task Force commander
Maj-Gen Kanok Netrakavaesana will hold talks with his Cambodian
counterpart tomorrow on the border issues and the Thai and
Cambodian defence ministers will meet next Tuesday , according to
Mr Sompong.
Cambodian Deputy Defence
Minister Gen Neang Phat said more Cambodian troops were heading to
the area after up to 500 Thai soldiers had tried to cross the
border near an ancient Hindu temple that is claimed by both
countries.
"We are building up our troops
at the border in response to Thailand, but I cannot reveal the
number," he told reporters.
Maj-Gen Srey Deok, who
oversees the Cambodian military in the disputed area, said: "Thai
troops have already entered the area. They are confronting our
troops."
But Maj-Gen Kanok denied that
more troops had been sent to the disputed area near the Preah
Vihear temple.
Thailand and Cambodia have 10
soldiers each at the Keo Sikha Kiri Svara pagoda near the Preah
Vihear temple and 45 around the compound on joint patrol, according
to the agreement between the two countries to ease border
tension.
The two countries also have
back-up troops near the border.
The number of soldiers there
remained unchanged, Maj-Gen Kanok said.
Maj-Gen Kanok slammed Cambodia
for distorting information and taking advantage of the political
crisis in Thailand to launch an offensive move for its own
political benefit.
The Suranaree chief, his
patience wearing thin, called for a quick solution to the border
spat and a clear direction to be provided by the government as it
could become an armed conflict if it was left unsettled.
"I want the government to
solve this problem and make it clear what to do. If it is left this
way, nobody knows what is going to happen," he said.
Tensions between Thailand and
Cambodia first flared in July after the Preah Vihear temple was
awarded World Heritage status by the World Heritage
Committee.
The International Court of
Justice ruled in 1962 that the temple belongs to Cambodia, but the
surrounding land remains in dispute.
Tensions escalated into a
military confrontation in which up to 1,000 Cambodian and Thai
troops faced off for six weeks.
The two countries have swapped
accusations of violating each other's territory in the
dispute.
(with Agency
reports)
