Clash at Thai-Cambodia border was misunderstanding, Thai army says
Bangkok
– A short firefight between Thai and Cambodian troops near a disputed border area temple was a misunderstanding and the situation has been resolved, a Thai military official said Monday.
Neither side reported casualties after they exchanged gunfire early Sunday about 20 kilometers from the 11th-century Preah Vihear temple.
‘It was a misunderstanding. I cannot say who first opened fire but the misunderstanding has been settled,’ Thai Army spokesman Colonel Samsern Keawkamnerd told the German Press Agency dpa.
Samsern said the firefight was in an area claimed by both countries, and where Cambodian smugglers sometimes fell trees. He did not say if there were smugglers in the area at the time of the clash.
Cambodian officials said Thai soldiers crossed about 200 metres into Cambodia where they encountered Cambodian soldiers.
