Thai military officer denies invading border area with Cambodia

BANGKOK, June 1 (Xinhua) -- Thai senior military officer confirmed on Sunday that the situation at the Thai-Cambodian border was normal, denying the report that a hill near Preah Vihear temple, a border area under dispute, was seized by Thai troops, Thai media reported Monday.

According to Monday's Bangkok Post, Second Army chief Wibulsak Neepal denied some Cambodian media's report that Thai troops invaded the area near Hill 600, adding that soldiers had only been patrolling the area as usual in order to guard the Thai territory.

He also insisted that Thailand was strictly following regulations and was well within the parameters of the agreement regarding border conflicts.

Cambodia's media alleged that Thai soldiers have taken over the area at Hill 600, approximately 7 km east of the ancient temple, which caused the deployment of Cambodian troops one km away from the hill.

Wibulsak stated that there might be a misunderstanding by Cambodia's journalists, which could lead to potential clashes. Both Thai and Cambodian commanders remained in contact, he added.

The deployment of Cambodian troops nearby has prompted speculation of a new bout of border clashes, said Bangkok Post.

The latest border conflicts between the two countries broke out on April 3 when soldiers of the two sides clashed twice near the Preah Vihear temple, leaving two Thai and two Cambodian soldiers dead and nine Thai soldiers injured.

Thailand and Cambodia had earlier conducted a few rounds of negotiations which involved the military and foreign ministries from the two sides to solve the border dispute regarding areas around the temple, a UNESCO world heritage site.

The international court ruled the temple belonged to Cambodia more than 40 years ago. But border dispute over areas around the temple has remained a fuse in the two countries' relationship.

The Thai-Cambodian border has never been fully demarcated, in part because the border is littered with landmines left during the wars.