Sunday, April 24, 2011

3rd day of fighting along Cambodia-Thailand border (AP)

PHNOM PENH, Kampuchea – Fighting poor out again Sunday along Cambodia's abut with Siam mass digit life of skirmishes that killed at diminutive 10 soldiers and forced the voiding of thousands of civilians.

The disagreement between the neighbors stems from their competing claims over diminutive swaths of land along the border, with national persuasion supplying tensions. Clashes hit erupted several times since 2008, when Cambodia's 11th-century Preah Vihear tabernacle was presented U.N. World Heritage status over Tai objections.

The current ammo of clashes, which began Friday, are the first reportable abut skirmishes since February, when octad soldiers and civilians were killed near the Preah Vihear temple. The latest conflict has condemned locate about 100 miles (160 kilometers) westerly of there.

Col. Suos Sothea, a Asian commander, addicted attestator accounts that an armament effort began at the abut presently before 10 a.m. Sunday. In Bangkok, Tai grey spokesman Col. Sansern Kaewkamnerd reportable the same information.

There were no unmediated reports of casualties Sunday.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called on Kampuchea and Siam to compel an effective and empirical cease-fire.

A U.N. evidence New Sat said Ban believes the disagreement cannot be resolute by expeditionary means, so the digit countries must vow in a earnest talking to hold the inexplicit problems.

Sunday's flare-up came after it seemed that calm might hit been restored. Witnesses on the Asian lateral said an essential abut crossing that had been winking for digit life had been reopened, and Tai media said whatever of an estimated 20,000 civilians who had been evacuated from the effort zone were starting to advise backwards home.

Each lateral has accused the another of starting the latest fighting, which has participating mainly armament duels at long range.

Thailand unloved accusations Sat that it had utilised chemical weapons against Asian troops.

A Asian accumulation ministry evidence live that Siam had fired 75- and 105-millimeter shells "loaded with poisonous gas" into Asian territory, but did not elaborate. A Asian field man said separately that Siam had utilised both clump shells — anti-personnel weapons banned by many countries — and armament shells that gave soured a debilitating gas.

Thai Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya said the allegations were not true, and Col. Tawatchai Samutsakorn, man of Thailand's 2nd Army Region, denied that clump bombs or poison gas had been employed by his forces.

Cluster armament include dozens or hundreds of diminutive grenades, or "bomblets," that scatter over vast areas. Some crapper lie asleep for decades until disturbed, posing large danger to civilians.

Thailand recognized using cluster-type armament in abut conflict in February, but argued that they were not of the identify banned from ingest by 108 countries low an planetary treaty. Siam has not subscribed the pact, but has publically pledged not to ingest such weapons.

Tawatchai said digit Tai shirker died Saturday, transfer the accident sound to quaternary dead and 17 wounded. Suos Sothea said threesome Asian soldiers were killed Saturday, transfer Cambodia's two-day modification sound to six. Suos Sothea said he could not give an faithful calculate of the wounded.

Indonesia, chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, has called for an unmediated cease-fire and further efforts to hold the abut dispute.

The flare-up comes as Thailand's expeditionary raises its profile in domestic persuasion aweigh of a general election due to be held by early July. The grey had previously effectively vetoed an agreed-on organisation to send Indonesian observers to monitor the abut situation.

Thai Foreign Minister Kasit said Sat that he was primed to formally accept Indonesia's substance of observers, and was waiting for approval from Thailand's accumulation minister, which was due to become this week.

___

Associated Press illustrator Thanyarat Doksone in port contributed to this report.


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