Fighting eases on Thai-Cambodian border

Cambodian and Thai soldiers have been exchanging artillery shells along their disputed jungle frontier since April 22 (AFP)

Sunday, May 01, 2011
AFP

BANGKOK — Fighting appeared to subside on the Thai-Cambodian border on Sunday, allowing some evacuees to return home after more than a week of heavy clashes which left 17 people dead, officials said.

There were some clashes overnight Saturday-Sunday involving grenades and mortar fire, in which one Cambodian soldier died, but the front line has been quiet since then, Cambodian defence ministry spokesman Chhum Socheat told AFP.

The two neighbours have been exchanging artillery shells along their disputed jungle frontier in their bloodiest conflict in decades, forcing more than 85,000 civilians to flee on both sides.

As a tentative calm returned to the border area, some of the more than 37,000 Cambodian civilians displaced by the violence were starting to go home.

Posted in: picture