Cambodian PM seeks bigger army budget after clash
PHNOM PENH, Oct 17 (Reuters) - Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen called for an increase in military spending on Friday, the first since the collapse of the Khmer Rouge in 1998, two days after fighting erupted on the border with Thailand.
"We must look to increase the military budget," he said at the start of a weekly cabinet meeting in Phnom Penh. His comments were recorded by a local newspaper reporter and replayed to Reuters. The wily former Khmer Rouge soldier, who won an election landslide in July to extend his two decades in power, called for a minute's silence at the start of the meeting for three Cambodian soldiers killed in Wednesday's clash.
"They sacrificed their lives to defend our nation in response to a foreign invasion," he said.
Seven Thai soldiers and two Cambodians were also wounded in the 40-minute exchange of rocket and gun-fire along the disputed stretch of border near the 900-year-old Preah Vihear temple, a source of tension between the two countries for decades.
Thai and Cambodian army commanders agreed on Thursday to conduct joint patrols of the disputed border, but they failed to reach a deal on reducing their forces around the temple. (Reporting by Ek Madra; Writing by Ed Cropley; Editing by Darren Schuettler and Alex Richardson)
