Tension at Cambodia/Thai border

Thai soldiers have reportedly entered Cambodia near a disputed temple where the two sides briefly exchanged fire last year.

A spokesman for Cambodia's government said that about 100 troops had crossed the border. Cambodian government spokesman Phay Siphan told reporters that Thai troops had gone about a kilometre into Cambodian territory. "We are negotiating with their commanders to ask them to leave the area now because it is Cambodian territory," he said. A Thai border commander denied there had been any troop movements and said there had been no increase in tension. "Both sides move their troops from time to time. We inform our Cambodian friends of our movements and vice versa" said Major General Kanok NetraKaveysana.

Preah Vihear, or Khao Phra Viharn as it is known in Thailand, sits on an escarpment that forms the natural border between the two countries and has been a source of tension for generations. The International Court of Justice awarded it to Cambodia in 1962, but the ruling did not determine the ownership of 1.8 square miles of scrub next to the ruins, leaving considerable scope for disagreement.

Cambodia is one of the poorest countries in the world. Destroyed by decades of war, civil strife, political instability and economic depletion, Cambodia's infrastructure is only slowly being rebuilt. More than half its population is under the age of 18. It is one of the countries in the region most affected by the HIV/AIDS epidemic. SOS Children has three Children’s Villages in Cambodia. First to open was one in the capital, Phnom Penh, where the slums were cleared. The Village has 14 family houses and is home to 140 children.