7/02/201
Cambodian PM accuses Thailand of plotting invasion during tour of disputed Preah Vihear
PREAH VIHEAR - CAMBODIAN Premier Hun Sen visited a disputed border area with Thailand yesterday, angering the neighbouring nation amid an ongoing diplomatic spat.
Mr Hun Sen and his wife Bun Rany briefly toured the ancient Preah Vihear temple at the centre of the land dispute and met members of the Thai military guarding the area.
He asked the Thais 'to avoid fighting because we are neighbours', but his presence in the area attracted more than 100 protesters on the Thai side of the border.
Thai soldiers had set up a barbed-wire fence at the entrance to the temple national park to prevent people from trespassing on the disputed area, the Bangkok Post said.
Four soldiers were killed in clashes in the temple area in 2008 and three more in a gun battle last April. Smaller flare-ups continue to be reported between troops in the area.
Mr Hun Sen earlier began a tour of the area by opening a school and giving supplies to villagers who had been caught in last April's violence. 'For me, it doesn't matter about compensation,' said Mr Hun Sen, referring to a Cambodian market that was destroyed during the gun battle. 'They (the Thais) have invaded us and look down on us.' -- AFP
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