Thai foreign minister ready to evacuate nationals from Cambodia
Posted: 15 October 2008 1704 hrs

	Photos  of
	Related News • Thai, Cambodian troops exchange gunfire on border • Thai fighter jets on standby as Cambodia row escalates • Thailand, Cambodia spar over border troop positions • Thailand denies withdrawal from disputed Cambodian border • Cambodia says Thai troops have left disputed territory

BANGKOK - Thailand's foreign minister said Wednesday he was prepared to evacuate Thai citizens in Cambodia if warranted, in light of renewed fighting on their disputed common border.

Heavy gunfire erupted on Wednesday as a row over land near the ancient Preah Vihear temple boiled over, with reports of 500 Thai soldiers massing on their side of the border.

“We have prepared an evacuation plan but we have to see how serious the situation is before the plan is executed," Foreign Minister Sompong Amornviwat said.

"We can confirm that Thailand was not the first to fire because the prime minister has a clear position on this," he added.

The fighting broke out in a small patch of disputed land about two kilometres (1.2 miles) from the 11th century Khmer temple, an UN World Heritage site which is on Cambodian territory.

Cambodia and Thailand have been sparring over land near the temple since July, and tensions soared this week after about 80 Thai troops entered a disputed area, enraging Cambodia.

Thai nationals were last evacuated from Cambodia in 2003 after nationalist violence erupted outside the Thai embassy in Phnom Penh over another temple dispute. - AFP/vm