Thailand stops fruit export in Cambodia over temple controversy

Bangkok - Thailand canceled fruit exports this weekend to neighbouring Cambodia in the latest fallout over joint claims to an ancient Hindu temple on their borders that had threatened to turn into a military conflict. Thailand's Department of Export Promotion canceled plans to ship more than 10 tons of longan, a fruit grown in northern Thailand, to sell in two malls in the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh, the government-run Thai News Agency reported Saturday.

The Thailand Exhibition scheduled for later in the month with more than 200 producers planning to show products in Phnom Penh had already been canceled, the DEP said.

A strong sentiment among Cambodians against Thai products was the reason, TNA reported.

Last Monday Thai Foreign Minister Tej Bunnag and his Cambodian counterpart Hor Namhong met to defuse an escalating border spat over joint claims to portions of the Preah Vihear temple perched on their common border.

At the meeting the two sides agreed to redeploy more than 2,000 troops that had been sent to the border between Si Sa Khet and Preah Vihear provinces in Thailand and Cambodia, respectively. The temple is situated about 400 kilometres north-east of Bangkok.

Preah Vihear, an 11th-century Hindu temple built on a 525-metre- high cliff on the Dongrak mountain range that defines the Thai- Cambodian border, has been the cause of a border conflict between Thailand and Cambodia for decades.

In 1962, the two countries agreed to settle joint claims to the temple at the International Court of Justice in The Hague. Cambodia won, but the court stopped short of defining the border in the area.

Thailand claims that a 4.6-square-kilometre plot of land adjoining the temple is still disputed.

The ancient spat got a fresh start in July when UNESCO agreed to list Preah Vihear as a World Heritage Site. The inscription excluded the 4.6 square kilometres of disputed territory, and Thailand protested the listing.

The spat escalated from a diplomatic row to a potential military conflict in mid-July when three Thais were detained for entering the disputed temple territory.

Although the threesome were quickly released, troops were called in from both sides to protect their border.