Cambodia's Foreign Ministry has formally protested Thailand's action in
a border skirmish that wounded at least one Cambodian and two Thai
soldiers.
A letter sent Saturday to the Thai ambassador in
Phnom Penh blames Thai soldiers for the incident, and says such
provocation could lead to full-scale armed hostility.
The clash
broke out Friday near the centuries-old Preah Vihear temple, which is
at the center of recent skirmishes. Officials from both sides say the
exchange lasted a few minutes. It is not clear who fired first.
The
border dispute erupted in July after Cambodia won World Heritage status
for the Preah Vihear temple. Both countries claim ownership of the
surrounding land.
Cambodia and Thailand had up to 1,000
troops stationed along the border. By August, tensions eased as both
sides agreed to pull back troops.
The new Thai prime minister
Somchai Wongsawat says he will seek to make progress on resolving the
conflict when he visits Cambodia October 13.
The International
Court of Justice granted sovereignty of the Preah Vihear temple to
Cambodia in 1962. But many Thai nationalists rejected the court's
ruling, which also left ownership of land surrounding the temple in
dispute.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP and Reuters.