Thailand bombs Cambodia's border casino hub

PHNOM PENH, Dec 18 (AFP): Thailand on Thursday bombed a building in a Cambodian casino town and major crossing between the two nations, as foreign powers pressured them to halt reignited border clashes.
Thai fighter jets dropped three bombs in an area of Poipet city, a bustling casino hub popular with Thai gamblers, on Thursday morning, the Cambodian interior ministry said in a statement.
The attack damaged a warehouse and other property, leaving two civilians with minor injuries, it said.
Thai air force spokesman Jackkrit Thammavichai told reporters the strike destroyed a "logistics centre" used to store rockets.
"These are facilities that have been used for military purposes," he said.
The renewed fighting between the Southeast Asian neighbours this month has killed at least 21 people in Thailand and 18 in Cambodia, while displacing more than 800,000, officials said.
The conflict stems from a territorial dispute over the colonial-era demarcation of their 800-kilometre (500-mile) border and a smattering of ancient temple ruins situated on the frontier.
Each side has blamed the other for instigating the fresh fighting and traded accusations of attacks on civilians.
Thailand said Tuesday that between 5,000 and 6,000 Thai nationals remained stranded in Poipet after Cambodia closed its land border crossings with its neighbour.