Phum Saron - Thai and Cambodian troops clashed for a fourth straight day on Monday over a disputed border area surrounding a 900-year-old mountaintop temple, deepening political uncertainty in Bangkok and prompting Cambodia to urge United Nations intervention.
Several hours of shelling and machine gun fire subsided at around 11am, creating an uneasy peace in the 4.6-square-kilometres contested area around the Preah Vihear temple claimed by both Southeast Asian neighbours.
Cambodia's government said Monday's fighting had killed five people and wounded 45 others on its side of the border. It did not say whether the casualties were troops or civilians.
Both sides blame the other for clashes that have killed at least two Thais and eight Cambodians since Friday and unleashed nationalist passions in Bangkok, energising “yellowshirt” protesters demanding that Thailand's government step down.
Reasons behind the fighting remain murky. Some analysts reckon hawkish Thai generals and nationalist allies may be trying to topple Thailand's government or even create a pretext to stage another coup and cancel elections expected this year.
Others say it may be a simple breakdown in communication channels at a time of strained relations over Cambodia's flying of a national flag in the disputed area and laying of a stone tablet inscribed with “This is Cambodia”.
The clashes pushed down shares in Thai firms with businesses in Cambodia, led by a 1.8 percent loss in satellite firm Thaicom, with its telecom service in Cambodia contributing 10 percent of revenue.
In Phum Saron, an evacuated village in Thailand's Si Sa Ket province where Cambodian artillery struck several homes and a school on Sunday, Thai soldiers guarded buildings and said it was unclear if more fighting loomed.
On the Cambodian side of the frontier, pigs and chickens roamed deserted villages. Schools and temples were turned into makeshift refugee centres. Naked children played as people collected firewood or queued for handouts of rice and water.
Several trucks each carrying at least 100 Cambodian infantry soldiers were seen racing toward the conflict zone.
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen called on the UN Security Council to convene an urgent meeting, accusing Thailand of “repeated acts of aggression” that have killed Cambodians and caused a wing of the temple to collapse. - Reuters