Cambodian, Thai troops to pull back from temple at weekend: general

PHNOM PENH (AFP) — Cambodia and Thailand have agreed to sharply reduce troop numbers around a disputed temple before a new round of border talks open Monday, a top general said.

The agreement was reached Wednesday during a meeting of military officials from the two countries, Cambodian General Neang Phat, a top official at the defence ministry, told reporters.

A Thai military official confirmed the deal, saying some troops had already begun the pullback on Thursday. Neither country would reveal exactly how many troops would be withdrawn from around the 11th-century Preah Vihear temple.

"Both sides agreed to redeploy the troops, who are stationed in the pagoda (near the temple), to the lowest possible number in order to avoid confrontation with each other," Neang Phat told reporters Thursday.

More than 1,000 troops from both countries are stationed around the ruins of the ancient Khmer temple.

"The redeployment of the troops that we have agreed to will finish before the ministerial meeting on August 18," Neang Phat said.

Neang Phat said the remaining troops would be allowed to carry only simple rifles and guns. Their future positions would be determined after the ministerial meeting next week, he added.

The border dispute erupted July 15, after three Thai nationalist protesters were arrested for trying to illegally cross into Cambodia to reach the temple.

Thai nationalists were incensed that Cambodia last month won world heritage status from the United Nations for the ruins, which Thailand has long claimed despite a World Court ruling giving the ruins to Cambodia.

The Cambodian-Thai border has never been completely demarcated, in part because the frontier is littered with landmines left from decades of conflict in Cambodia.

Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej said Thursday that he had approved 1.4 billion baht (41.7 million dollars) to begin a new demining operation on the border.

He said that a 10-year programme to clear landmines had only removed two percent of the explosives believed to be on the border. The new money is the first tranche in a new decade-long scheme to further the demining work.