Southeast Asia's regional grouping, of which both Thailand
and Cambodia are members, said the deteriorating situation
was undermining confidence in the region and would affect
its economic recovery.
The Thai soldier was killed, and four were wounded, in
a 4.6-sq-km (2-sq-mile) disputed area around the 900-year-old
Preah Vihear temple, a jungle-clad escarpment claimed
by both countries, said Thai army spokesman Colonel Sansern
Kaewkamnerd.
The neighbors fought with rocket-propelled grenades and
guns for about 25 minutes from 6:15 a.m. (2315 GMT Friday)
before reaching a ceasefire in the early afternoon and
agreeing not to reinforce troops, the spokesman said.
That followed an intense two-hour clash on Friday in
which three Cambodians, including two soldiers, and a
Thai villager were killed, the first fatalities in the
militarized border area since a Thai soldier was shot
dead on Jan. 31, 2010.
Cambodian government spokesman Phay Siphan said one of
the Cambodians killed on Friday was a tourist visiting
the temple overlooking northern Cambodia. He said 10 Cambodian
soldiers were wounded, but there were no fatalities on
Saturday.
The clashes come after a Cambodian court on Tuesday handed
down jail terms of six and eight years to two Thai activists
found guilty of trespassing and spying in the border region,
a verdict that has angered some in Thailand.
The temple, known as Preah Vihear in Cambodia and Khao
Phra Viharn in Thailand, sits on land that forms a natural
border and has been a source of tension for generations.
