Thai and Cambodian troops clash again over disputed border

THAI and Cambodian troops clashed for a third straight day yesterday over their disputed border, with gunfire and explosions echoing through mountainous jungle for several hours despite a call for a ceasefire by UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon.

The fighting, near two disputed 12th-century Hindu temples, killed at least 10 people and left 42 wounded on Friday and Saturday, and follows a four-day confrontation in February that claimed 11 lives, making this year the bloodiest in nearly two decades and raising questions over the motives.

Cambodia’s defence ministry accused Thailand of shelling civilian villages, a day after saying Thai soldiers fired cluster munitions — anti-personnel weapons banned by many countries — and shells “loaded with poisonous gas”. The Thai government said the allegations were “groundless”.