17 Oct 2008

Thailand, Cambodia agree joint border patrol

5:03 pm on 17 October 2008

Thailand and Cambodia have agreed to joint patrols of disputed border areas after deadly clashes, but little progress has been made toward resolving a territorial spat.

Senior military officials from both sides met in Thailand on Thursday, a day after gunfights broke out on disputed land near Preah Vihear temple - a United Nations heritage site on Cambodian territory. Some Thai nationalists claim ownership of the site.

Governments from both countries have said they are seeking to calm the situation and mend relations. The United States, the UN and the European Union have called for restraint.

Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said his country was ready to act as a mediator.

Civilians have fled the area and Thai expatriates and tourists are leaving Cambodia.

Cambodian riot police have been deployed in front of the Thai embassy in Phnom Penh, which was set on fire by anti-Thai rioters in 2003.

The Cambodian-Thai border has never been fully demarcated, partly because it is littered with landmines from decades of war in Cambodia.