Thai premier defends army's actions in border battle (Roundup)

Feb 6, 2011, 14:33 GMT

Bangkok - Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva insisted Sunday Thai troops were not to blame for deadly border skirmishes with Cambodia, as fresh fighting erupted along a strip of disputed territory.

Thai army spokesman Colonel Sansern Kaewkamnert said Cambodian troops had fired illuminated mortar rounds into Thai territory on Sunday night and that Thai forces retaliated with artillery.

'The fighting is still going on,' he said, but there were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.

Early Sunday Abhisit blamed Cambodian forces for initiating the cross-border attacks.

'I confirm that Thailand did not invade Cambodian territory,' the prime minister said. 'But we reserve our right to protect our sovereignty in an appropriate way.'

'Our counterattacks never target civilians, only the (Cambodian) military that started firing on us,' he said.

One Thai soldier, one civilian and at least three Cambodians were reportedly killed Friday and Saturday in exchanges of small arms and artillery fire along the border between Thailand's Si Sa Ket province and Cambodia's Preah Vihear province.

About 15 Thai soldiers were wounded and several houses damaged.

Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong lodged a protest with the UN Security Council on Saturday, accusing Thai troops of 'flagrant aggression.'

The fighting took place near the 11th-century Preah Vihear temple, which has been disputed by the two countries for more than 50 years.

The cliff-side Khmer Hindu temple was awarded to Cambodia in a 1962 ruling by the International Court of Justice, but ownership of adjoining land has remained in dispute.

Cambodian authorities Saturday said the temple was damaged by Thai fire during the artillery duel.

Abhisit has come under domestic political pressure to take a stronger line against Cambodia.

Several thousand demonstrators from the ultra-nationalist People's Alliance for Democracy are camped outside Government House to demand the prime minister's resignation because of his alleged failure to deal decisively with the border issue.

The alliance played a key role in bringing down three Thai governments since 2006.

The protestors are demanding that Thailand scrap a 2000 memorandum of understanding with Cambodia to solve border disputes peacefully.

Under terms of that agreement, Thai and Cambodian border forces negotiated a ceasefire on Saturday. Officers from both sides met on Sunday in an effort to contain the fighting.

Sunday night's cross-border firing began several hours after the meeting.

Abhisit said that due to the border clashes he would seek to suspend the ancient temple's listing as a UNESCO World Heritage sight, at a meeting scheduled in June in Bahrain.

He called for Thais of all political persuasions to support Thai forces deployed along the border.

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