Cambodia and Thailand have moved more troops to a disputed ancient temple site located along their border, said Cambodian Brig Gen. Chea Keo on Thursday.
Brig Gen. Keo told reporters that about 400 Thai soldiers and over 800 Cambodian troops were stationed near the site of the disputed Preah Vihear Temple on Thursday. This means that both sides have almost doubled their troops numbers along the border since Wednesday.
As the stand off between the two neighboring counties entered a third day on Thursday, both sides vowed not "use force unless attacked" first and stressed that the "situation was stable."
Cambodia had said on Wednesday that the two countries have agreed to begin high-level talks to resolve the territorial dispute, which was confirmed later by Thai Foreign Ministry spokesman Tharit Charungvat.
Officials from both countries confirmed Thursday that the two neighbors would hold high-level talks next Monday to ease tensions along their border.
The stand off between the two countries began after Cambodian police arrested three Thai protesters on Tuesday for attempting to reach the temple without proper immigration papers. Thai troops then amassed near the border to rescue the arrested protestors.
The dispute over the border temple began after International Court awarded the temple to Combodia in 1962. Moreover, Unesco had recently listed the temple as a World Heritage Site.
For comments and feedback: editorial@rttnews.com