Phnom Penh - Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen left no room for a Thai delegation to doubt his resolve after a meeting with him Monday - Thai troops must retreat, or prepare to fight. "The situation at the Eagle Terrace area is hot," he said, referring to a border area Thai troops reportedly moved into even as bilateral talks began in the Cambodian capital Monday. "They must move tonight or tomorrow. If they don't ... there will be fighting."
"The body's maximum temperature is 37 degrees," he said, meaning Cambodia would tolerate no more and reiterating earlier growling by Foreign Minister Hor Namhong that Cambodia had been pushed to the limit over a protracted border dispute with its troubled neighbour.
Hun Sen's comments to journalists came shortly after seeing Thai Foreign Minister Sompong Amornviwat off after a brief meeting.
Earlier Sompong met for several hours with Hor Namhong, who said he received word in the middle of talks that Thai troops had tried to force their way into the site of a mine blast that wounded two Thai soldiers last week - news which infuriated Cambodia, urged by the international community to find a bilateral solution.
Hor Namhong said at an earlier press conference that he had also warned Thailand to back off, because Cambodia would not shy away from a fight "to protect its sovereignty and integrity."
Cambodia believes the area Thai troops set up camp in Monday, 2 kilometres east of the 11th century Preah Vihear temple, is within its territory and sees the attempt to access it even as talks were underway as a direct provocation, foreign ministry sources said.
"We asked the Thai government to solve the border dispute completely and in appropriate time. I again and again urged the Thai government not to delay," Hor Namhong told a press conference.
In July Thai troops entered what they claim is disputed border territory, a claim Cambodia rejects. The dispute later spread to involve at least three ancient border temples.
Troops on both sides were wounded when units exchanged gunfire during a brief clash on October 3 near Preah Vihear temple and two more Thai soldiers were seriously injured by a landmine last week.
Talks had been on hold since August because of Thailand's domestic political upheavals.
