The Thai-Cambodian border dispute on the controversial area around the Preah Vihear Temple, an 11th-century-built Hindu temple which was historically claimed sovereignty by both countries,is now puzzling the outside, though it is never a new issue between the two countries.
On Thursday, the United Nations Security Council, at the request of Cambodia, will discuss the dispute between Thailand and Cambodia in its emergency session. However, the Thai government also has sent a letter to the UN, expressing the wish to discuss and solve the problem in a bilateral way.
With the soldiers of both countries now engaged in a stand-off at the border around the Preah Vihear mountain, is the situation dangerous to the extent of an "imminent state of war" as claimed by Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong?
"I don't think a war could happen, since we believe both the countries could solve the problem in a peaceful way," Apichart Bunsak, a Thai army captain based in the disputed area, told Xinhua outside a camp.
Now, fearing possible military confrontation, the Cambodia authority has closed the temple, which the International Court of Justice in 1962 ruled to belong to Cambodia. While the Thai militarymen has sealed off the area below the temple, which is the only practical access to the temple since the Cambodian side of the temple is a cliff.
Reports said there are an estimated 2,000 troops, from each side, stationed at the border around the temple, about 500 kilometers north-east of Bangkok. But according to some Thai local media reports, rumors now circulating among Cambodians by cellphone short SMS messages said that up to 10,000 Thai soldiers have gathered, patrolling and beefing up security along the Thai-Cambodian border. Local newspaper also showed some pictures of heavy weapons which have been dispatched to border by the Thai army.
A Thai military official who asking not to be named dismissed the rumors about the number of Thai soldiers along the border. He said Thai army only sent several hundreds of soldiers there, while the Cambodia has a total of several thousands soldiers along the border.
However, a Cambodia military officer told Xinhua that the Thai soldiers' number now based in the disputed area is more than that of Cambodia.
Anyway, in the disputed area, no signal of intensity was found on Thursday, though armed force of both sides were stationed there and heavy weapons such as rocket launchers were also seen from both side. They sometimes smiled or chat with each other despite different languages.
