Soldier Injured in Border Skirmish: Officials
Thai troops launched a grenade and Cambodians returned fire Friday afternoon in the first incident of violence in a prolonged border st
At least one Cambodian soldier was injured Friday afternoonin an exchange of gunfire between Thai and Cambodian troops near the PreahVihear provincial border, in the first reported act of military violence in a prolonged standoff, a military official said. Thai soldiers fired a grenade at a group of Cambodiansoldiers, injuring a Cambodian in the leg, while a Thai soldier was wounded inthe abdomen in the return gunfire, according to a reliable military officer inthe area, who asked not to be named due to the sensitivity of the issue. "At 3:35 pm, around 10 [Thai soldiers] entered the Cambodian position, and Cambodian soldiers called to them not to enter, and they did not listen," the officer said. "And then they shot with the M-79 [grenade]." The soldiers were nearly 200 meters from the Cambodian position on Phnom Troap, more than 1 kilometer from the Preah Vihear temple complex, the officer said. Government spokesman Khieu Kanharith told the AssociatedPress the Cambodian was “slightly wounded” when Thai troops fired an M-79grenade from their own territory. Khieu Kanharith confirmed the Cambodian sidehad returned fire, AP reported. A report from Ministry of Defense information office obtained by VOA Khmer Friday coroborrated the statements of the military officer and said both sides remained at a standoff at 5 pm. The exchange of violence, which lasted only moments, was thefirst reported in an 11-week military standoff over Preah Vihear temple. Officialshad cautioned that prolonged proximity between the troops could end inbloodshed. Both Cambodian and Thai officials have said they arecommitted to peaceful resolution of the impasse, which began followingthe inscription of the temple, which abuts a disputed border area, onto aUnesco World Heritage list in July. Defense Minister Tea Banh could not be reached for comment, and a person answering the phone of the Thai Embassy's first secretary said he was unavailable.