VOVNews/VNS
Cambodia has reduced the number of its troops patrolling the disputed 11th century temple along the Thai border by half, citing improved security and the need for the soldiers to help farmers plant rice, a defence ministry spokesman said on August 31.
Long-standing tensions over the temple’s ownership reached fever pitch in July 2008 when UNESCO, the UN cultural agency, approved Cambodia’s bid to have Preah Vihear named a World Heritage Site. Thailand protested against the move, claiming that it undermined its claim to a small area of adjacent land.
Since then, there have been several gun battles between Thai and Cambodian troops in the area and a number of soldiers from both sides have been killed or wounded. Both sides have refused to back down until now, with each, maintaining their rightful claim to the land.
Lt Gen Chhum Socheat said that the pulling out of troops began last Wednesday and was completed by Sunday. Along with the soldiers, the Thai army has withdrawn its tanks and other heavy equipment from the site around the temple.
“We have pulled out 50 percent of our forces from the disputed border near Thailand because we saw that the situation there was getting better day by day,” said Chhum Socheat, while refusing to provide specific troop numbers because of security concerns.
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