Thai troops in combat gear and armed with rifles sat in small groups in the jungle on Preah Vihear mountain, while Cambodian troops paced only a few meters away. -- PHOTO: REUTERS

PREAH VIHEAR (Cambodia) - CAMBODIA and Thailand escalated their troop buildup on Thursday at disputed territory near a historic border temple despite moves to hold talks next week to defuse the flare-up in tensions, a Cambodian general said.

Cambodian Brig Gen Chea Keo said the Thais now have more than 400 troops near the Preah Vihear temple, up from about 200 the day before, and Cambodia has about 800 troops there, up from 380 the day before.

Cambodia claims the Thai troops have crossed the border into Cambodian territory in renewed tensions over land near Cambodia's Preah Vihear temple, while Thailand maintains it is protecting its own sovereignty.

However, a Thai military source has acknowledged that the troops are in 'disputed' territory.

The border in the area around Preah Vihear has never been fully demarcated.

Disputes between Thailand and Cambodia THAI police and angry villagers blocked nationalist Thai protesters on Thursday from reaching a disputed ancient temple on the country's border with Cambodia. The 900-year-old Preah Vihear temple has been a source of tension for decades since the International Court of Justice ruled in 1962 that it belonged to Cambodia. The latest flare-up was triggered by Bangkok's support for the Unesco heritage listing which anti-government groups said was tantamount to selling out Thailand's heritage. Here are some facts on relations and historical disputes between the two neighbours. Cultural links date back to at least the 9th century when Mon and Khmer people from south China migrated to the central plains and northern highlands of modern Thailand. Cambodia's ancient Khmer Empire, the dominant power at the time, ruled over modern Thailand from its Angkor Wat complex. Thai generals rebelled in the 13th century, triggering a series of wars. Angkor was attacked by Thai forces around 1431 and abandoned. For the next three centuries the Khmer state alternated between brief periods of independence and paying tribute to Thai and Vietnamese kings as a vassal state. In 1863, Thai-educated Cambodian King Norodom accepted the protection of France, which was then pushing into south Vietnam. King Norodom ceded suzerainty, gaining the return of two northern provinces, Battambang and Siem Reap, that had been incorporated into Thailand. They were returned to Cambodia in 1907. France ruled Cambodia as a colony along with Laos and Vietnam, keeping relatively cordial relations with Thailand, until Phnom Penh gained independence by 1954. The 800-km Thai-Cambodia border, where Preah Vihear lies, was set by French colonial rulers. The International Court of Justice in The Hague ruled in 1962 that the temple belonged to Cambodia, a decision that rankles with most Thais to this day. Simmering grievances have sometimes flared into violence. A Cambodian mob torched the Thai embassy and Thai businesses in Phnom Penh in 2003 after a false report in a Khmer newspaper quoted a Thai TV star as saying Angkor belonged to Thailand. -- REUTERS

'They have entered (Cambodian territory) with an intention to provoke us, but we are being extremely patient to prevent weapons from firing,' Brig Gen Chea Keo said.

On Wednesday night, Cambodia said it agreed with Thailand to hold talks next Monday aimed at easing tensions early next week. Thailand did not immediately confirm the plans.

Cambodian Information Minister Khieu Kanharith said the two countries' prime ministers had a 'cordial' phone conversation, and that their defense ministers would meet on Monday in Thailand to discuss the flare-up in tensions.

Cambodia's application for World Heritage Site status for the temple was granted last week, providing new fodder to the long-standing conflict.

Both countries claim 4.6 square kilometres of land around the Preah Vihear temple, and Thai anti-government activists have revived nationalist sentiment over the issue.

The activists and some government officials fear that the temple's new status will jeopardise their country's claims to land adjacent to the site.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen and Thai Prime Minister Sundaravej also agreed that 'both sides should do the utmost to prevent anything from happening', Khieu Kanharith told The Associated Press.

Mr Khieu Kanharith said Cambodia would not 'use force unless attacked' and that the 'situation was stable'.

Thai army commander Gen Anupong Paojindasaid likewise said he has ordered his troops to refrain from using force.

'The problem has been there for a long time because there has been no demarcation of the border yet,' Gen Anupong told reporters.

Thai officials have publicly denied that their troops crossed the border, saying the soldiers are in Thai territory to protect its sovereignty.

However, a senior Thai military source who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation acknowledged on Wednesday that Thai troops were inside 'disputed border territory'.

Thai troops in combat gear and armed with rifles sat in small groups Wednesday in the jungle on Preah Vihear mountain, while Cambodian troops paced only a few metres away, some of them carrying B-40 rocket launchers.

Cambodian troop reinforcements also were on the road on Wednesday.

'I have received an order from our commander to back up our forces over there,' Mr Ouch Borith, an army captain, told The Associated Press at a Cambodian village several kilometres from the Preah Vihear mountain.

In 1962, the International Court of Justice awarded Preah Vihear and the land it occupies to Cambodia, a decision that still rankles many Thais even though the temple is culturally Cambodian, sharing the Hindu-influenced style of the more famous Angkor complex in northwestern Cambodia. -- AP

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