Thailand, Cambodia trade heavy fire

The two neighbours have fought a series of deadly gun battles in recent years in disputed jungle near ancient temples, which has never been fully demarcated, partly because it is littered with landmines. The two countries regularly accuse each other of starting the clashes.“All of sudden they fired at us,” Thai Defence Minister General Prawit Wongsuwon said after fighting resumed on Saturday.“It could be that they wanted to internationalise the situation to attract a third country to intervene. We do not want to fight but have to retaliate when they fire at us,” he said, calling for the resumption of bilateral talks to resolve the territorial dispute. “We have to put pressure on them to go back to the negotiating table,” he said.Thai media reported that four Thai troops were wounded on Saturday but there was no official confirmation.Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong described the new fighting as a “deliberate act of aggression” by Thailand.Phnom Penh has called for outside mediation to help end the standoff, but Thailand opposes third-party intervention.The two countries agreed in late February to allow Indonesian observers in the area near, but the Thai military has since said they are not welcome and they have yet to be deployed.