‘Progress’ in Thailand-Cambodia row

Foreign ministers agree on steps to begin demarcating disputed border.

thai cambodia dispute over preah vihear temple border
Tensions near the ancient Preah Vihear temple had threatened to escalate into all-out war [Reuters]

“We have achieved 99 per cent, but there still remain a few points on which I need to seek approval from the Thai parliament first,” Sompong Amornvivat, Thailand’s foreign minister, told reporters.

In October three soldiers were killed and 10 wounded in a brief but intense exchange of gunfire between Thai and Cambodian troops.

The clash had raised fears of a war between the neighbours who have argued over the disputed stretch of jungle for decades.

In 1962 the World Court awarded ownership of the 14 century Preah Vihear temple to Cambodia, but sovereignty over the surrounding land has never been clearly resolved.

Source: News Agencies