PREAH VIHEAR, Jul 18 (AP): Cambodian and Thai troops came close to a shoot-out in a disputed border region as the confrontation over land surrounding an ancient temple entered its fourth day, a Cambodian general said Friday.
The standoff is the latest escalation in a long-standing conflict over land that surrounds Preah Vihear temple, which is similar in style to the more famous Angkor Wat in northeastern Cambodia.
Thai soldiers entered the surrounding area Tuesday, staking out positions at a nearby Buddhist temple compound.
On Thursday night, 61 monks along with 13 nuns and lay people came to the Buddhist pagoda some 220 yards west of the Preah Vihear complex to celebrate the start of Buddhist Lent.
The Cambodian monks must remain on the temple grounds during the three-month period. The age-old practice is traditionally to prevent them from trampling new plants and insects.
About 50 Cambodian troops entered the pagoda hoping to stay the night to provide security for the monks and nuns, but the Thai soldiers moved to evict them, prompting the gun-pointing, Cambodian Brig. Gen. Chea Keo said.
Chea Keo said the incident lasted about 10 minutes before the Cambodians departed.
"We exercised patience to prevent weapons from being fired," he said.
The Thai army spokeswoman Col. Sirichan Ngathong said she was "not aware of any incident where the two troops pointed guns at one another." She said she could not comment further because she has not been briefed on the issue.
"But the situation is stable. They (the troops) have been told to avoid any confrontration," she said.
The land dispute came to a head last week when UNESCO approved Cambodia's application for World Heritage Site status for the site. Thai activists fear the new status will undermine Thailand's claim to nearby land.
