Troops, mine blast, protests shake temple

Tension between Thailand and Cambodia over a territorial dispute flared up again yesterday, with allegations by Cambodia that Thai troops crossed illegally into Cambodian territory.

Meanwhile, a paratrooper from the Ranger Unit 2301 assigned to oversee areas leading to the 10th-century-AD Preah Vihear Temple stepped on a landmine, resulting in the loss of his right leg.

It was not clear who placed the explosive in the disputed area or whether it was a remnant of decades of civil war among Cambodian factions that often spilled over onto the Thai side of the border.

Security officials declined to speculate as to who might be behind the placing of the device along the border area that has yet to be demarcated.

Regarding the troop crossing, Agence France-Presse quoted Hang Soth, the Cambodian official who manages a border crossing, as saying that at Preah Vihear Temple, about 40 Thai troops entered Cambodia early yesterday morning.

It was not clear if the crossing was related to the three Thai protesters who had been detained by Cambodian authorities for jumping an immigration checkpoint in a bid to reach the ruins.

Preah Vihear has been the focus of an decades-long dispute between the two countries.

Local authorities said the three had crossed into the Preah Vihear temple ground "to meditate" at the ancient temple as a way to display their objection to the temple becoming a World Heritage site.

"At first about 20 troops entered a pagoda in Cambodian territory. Later they increased their numbers to about 40," Hang Soth was quoted as saying.

"We don't yet understand why they came."

None of the Thai authorities was aware of the alleged crossing by the troops.