Thai foreign minister visits disputed area near Cambodia's temple

PHNOM PENH, Sept. 13 (AP) - (Kyodo)—Thai Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya visited a disputed border area near Cambodia's Preah Vihear Temple on Sunday and pledged his government would try its best to avoid further clashes there.
Gen. Chea Dara, the deputy commander-in-chief of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces who is based at Preah Vihear Temple, told Kyodo News by telephone that Kasit visited three places in the 4.6 square kilometer disputed area for about an hour.
One of the places was a Cambodian market that was burned down by Thai forces during the last border clash between the two countries' armed forces on April 3.
Cambodia and Thailand first came to blows along the border after Preah Vihear was inscribed as a World Heritage site in July last year.
Chea Dara said that during his brief meeting with Kasit, the Thai foreign minister pledged his government would try its best to avoid further clashes with Cambodia and agreed that the border issue should be resolved through peaceful means.

Source: AP