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Cambodia said Thailand used illegal cluster bombs in a “war of aggression” at their border earlier this month, and asked the United Nations and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to enforce a cease-fire.

“Fresh fighting may break out again at any time without forewarning, while heavily armed Thai soldiers, artilleries and tanks have been positioned along the border, posing constant pressure on Cambodia,” Foreign Minister Hor Namhong told a closed meeting of the UN Security Council today, according to a text of his address.

Thai Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya, speaking to reporters after the meeting, rejected deployment of UN observers or ASEAN mediation, saying the conflict should be resolved through talks between the two nations. He denied his government started the hostilities or used cluster bombs.

Fighting from Feb. 4 to Feb. 7 over the disputed, 11th-century Preah Vihear temple left six people dead and 71 injured, Hor Namhong said. He said the violence also damaged the Hindu temple, which is a UN World Heritage site.

“We did not shoot first,” Kasit said. He said Cambodian soldiers have been using the temple for “military purposes” in violation of international law and engaged in “premeditated aggressive actions.”

The Security Council released a statement encouraging ASEAN mediation, and Indonesia Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa said the goal of a Feb. 22 meeting of the group’s foreign ministers in Jakarta was to “extract” commitments from both countries for peaceful dialogue and a permanent cease-fire.

In 1962, the International Court of Justice ruled in a 9-3 vote that Cambodia had sovereignty over Preah Vihear. The court didn’t rule on disputed land near the temple.


Bloomberg