BANGKOK - THAILAND'S foreign minister on Tuesday denied that about 80 of the country's troops had withdrawn from a disputed area on the border with Cambodia, and insisted they had the right to stay there.

Cambodian military officials earlier said that the Thai soldiers had moved out of the contentious area near the ancient Preah Vihear temple, after Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen issued an ultimatum.

'All 80 troops will remain in the disputed area because Thailand has overseen that area for 20 to 30 years,' Thai Foreign Minister Sompong Amornviwat told reporters.

'Of those 80 troops, 20 of them are mine clearance workers and the rest offer protection for the mine clearance troops. Thailand insists it has not encroached in any territory.'

The Thai army also ratcheted up the rhetoric, saying that it was prepared for a confrontation with Cambodia if the months-long spat on the border escalated.

'The Thai armed forces agreed to maintain troops in the area because that area is claimed by both Thailand and Cambodia,' the army said in a statement.

'The armed forces reaffirmed that all three armed forces - army, navy and air force - are ready for confrontation in the area and are confident in our potential to defend Thailand's sovereignty,' it said.

Tensions between the neighbours first flared in July and escalated into a military confrontation in which up to 1,000 Cambodian and Thai troops faced off for six weeks in a small patch of land, although both sides in August agreed to reduce troop numbers. -- AFP