Thailand reportedly has sent 200 troops to the Cambodian border near a disputed temple amid growing tensions over construction on the Khmer side of the border, a media report said Thursday.
Thai soldiers prepare border-protection measures Dec 7 in Si Sa Ket province, on the Thai side of the border near the dispute Preah Vihear temple in Cambodia. A construction project there has caused tensions to build again, Cambodia media reported Thursday. (Bangkok Post photo)
The Phnom Penh Post reported that Un Chinda, the deputy governor for Preah Vihear province, said Cambodia has not bolstered its own troop levels due to the dispute in the area Thailand claims is neutral territory, but Cambodia claims for its own.
The dispute began when Khmer construction workers began excavating for a new road. Mr Chinda said Thailand then sent an "informal letter" requesting postponement of the road project and refilling of the excavated land.
The deputy governor told the newspaper that Phnom Penh agreed to postpone construction, but refused to refill land already dug out "because it is under the sovereignty of Cambodia."
A Cambodia air force officer told the paper that Thai soldier tried to enter the area earlier this week and opened fire, injuring at least one Khmer solider. Officially, Cambodia denied the shooting happened.
"The road construction is far ... from the An Ses border, where the barbed wire between the two countries was placed," the Post quoted Mr Chinda as saying.
While no soliders have been deployed to counter the alleged Thai buildup, the border-area military base "is ready to protect [the area] if Thai soldiers continue to move into our territory," he told the Post.
Lt Gen Hun Manet, Prime Minister Hun Sen's son, reportedly has been in the area since Tuesday monitoring the situation. Cambodia and Thailand are scheduled to meet on Jan 7.
The Preah Vihear area has been a source of tension since Thailand's lost its claim to land around the historic Preah Vihear temple there. Numerous border clashes have followed.