Thai soldiers wounded by landmines along Cambodian border

07/10/2008 13:47:19

Thailand's army says two Thai soldiers have stepped on landmines along the Cambodian border three days after a brief exchange of fire near the disputed 900-year-old Preah Vihear temple.

The army rangers, each of whom lost a leg, were patrolling on Thai territory and stepped on the mines only 400 metres from where soldiers from both sides clashed on Friday.

Cambodia says the mines, believed to have been laid years ago by the Khmer Rouge, were on Cambodian soil.

Bangkok and Phnom Penh have accused each other of unprovoked aggression in Friday's contact between two border patrol units in which two Thais and one Cambodian were wounded.

It was the first clash since the two sides agreed in August to withdraw most of the 1,000 troops that had been facing off for a month near the historic Hindu ruins that sit on the jungle-clad escarpment dividing the countries.

Sompong Amornvivat, Thailand's fifth foreign minister in a year, told reporters he would discuss the issue with his Cambodian counterpart next Monday during a visit to Phnom Penh by Thai Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat.

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