Thailand and Cambodia today agreed to a ceasefire after a week of clashes that killed at least 15 people, wounded scores and sent more than 60,000 into evacuation shelters in Southeast Asia's deadliest border dispute in years.
The agreement caps seven days of sporadic artillery and small-rocket fire that fanned nationalist passions in both countries, threatened to overshadow elections in Thailand and reinforced doubts over Southeast Asia's ambitions to form a European Union-style community by 2015.
Cambodia's Defence Ministry said both sides agreed to keep troops in the area, hold regular meetings between field commanders and to leave their long-festering territorial disputes to a Thai-Cambodian Joint Commission on Demarcation for Land Boundary set up a decade ago.
They also agreed to open border checkpoints near two disputed 12th-century Hindu temples at the heart of the fighting, although it was unclear when villagers would be allowed back to their remote, ravaged towns.
"We will abide by the ceasefire from now on," Cambodian government spokesman Phay Siphan said. "Local commanders will meet regularly to avoid misunderstanding." Thai government spokesman Panitan Wattanayagorn said he hoped this "initial agreement" would be respected. "On our side of the border, the regional commander is expressing confidence peace will hold."
But the agreement looks fragile. Both sides remained at odds over who controls the Ta Moan and Ta Krabey temples despite fighting that killed at least eight Cambodians and seven Thais.
"The temples are completely controlled by Cambodia," said Cambodian Colonel Suos Sothea. "That is incorrect," replied Thai army spokesman Sansern Kaewkamnerd, when told of Cambodia's assertion. "Troops on both sides occupy the area around the two temples. It's counterproductive for Cambodia to spread that misunderstanding."
Thailand insists the stone-walled ruins reside in its Surin province according to a 1947 map. Cambodia says they are in its Oddar Meanchey province.
Sovereignty over the temples - Preah Vihear, Ta Moan and Ta Krabey - and the jungle surrounding them has been in dispute since the withdrawal of the French from Cambodia in the 1950s.
Thai prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva expressed some reservations over the ceasefire. "We will have to see if it actually brings peace," he said.
Reuters