Cambodian and Thai soldiers fought a battle in a disputed border area today afternoon that resulted in two Thai deaths and escalated from a milder morning skirmish between the South-East Asian neighbours, dpa quoted officials as saying. Thailand's Second Army Region Commander Lieutenant-General Viboonsak Neepal said one Thai soldier was killed at the site of the clash and another died later in hospital, according to the Thai News Agency. Half a dozen others were wounded. Cambodian Information Minister Khieu Kanharith said at one point during the day that two Cambodian soldiers were killed, but later said he could not confirm the number of deaths. There was a brief firefight early in the morning when teams of soldiers from the two countries clashed near the 11th-century Preah Vihear temple, located 350 kilometres north-east of Bangkok. In the Thai capital, Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesman Tarit Charungvat confirmed the deaths, saying the aggressive actions of the Cambodians started a pointless battle at the place where, last year, fighting has also erupted last year between the two countries.
