Phnom Penh - Cambodia imposed extra security and will make it a priority to ensure all Thai expatriates and their businesses are safe during weekend elections, government spokesman Khieu Kanharith said Friday. Tensions are high between the two neighbours after the border temple of Preah Vihear was listed as Cambodia's second World Heritage site earlier this month.
Thailand mobilized troops on the border into what it claims is disputed territory and Cambodia claims is sovereign soil shortly thereafter. Cambodia responded in a military standoff that has dominated the news on both sides and stirred up nationalistic fervour.
"This is a political problem, so civilians should not be involved or suffer," Kanharith said by telephone. "We have security in place and Thailand has also advised its citizens through the embassy."
Kanharith also urged Cambodians not to join a boycott of Thai-made products, saying it was counter-productive.
The boycott campaign has been spread by text messaging and anonymous advertisements in leading Khmer-language newspapers urging true Cambodian patriots to leave Thai products on the shelves.
In 2003 an angry Cambodian mob torched the Thai embassy and a number of Thai businesses over a false rumour a Thai actress had claimed Cambodia's other World Heritage site, the Angkor Wat temple complex, was Thai.
Kanharith said he was confident that would not happen again when Cambodians went to the polls in a national election Sunday.
On Thursday, the Thai embassy in Cambodia advised its nationals on evacuation strategies in case the situation worsened.
