Cambodian PM gives Thailand border ultimatum

By Ek Madra

PHNOM PENH (Reuters) - Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen gave Thailand an ultimatum on Monday to withdraw troops from a disputed stretch of jungle-clad border within 24 hours or his forces would turn the area into a "death zone."

"Thai troops must withdraw from Cambodian land by tomorrow at the latest," Hun Sen told reporters after meeting Thai Foreign Minister Sompong Amornvivat in Phnom Penh. "We will not allow them to occupy our land."

The Thai army denied any incursion by its soldiers near the 900-year-old Preah Vihear temple, which sits on the natural escarpment dividing the two nations and which has been a source of enmity for decades.

"We see that territory is our land, too. What would it mean if we retreated," Sompong to reporters in Bangkok.

"If the Cambodians think it is their land, too, we should start bilateral talks to sort that out very quickly."

Tensions have been high since July when around 1,000 soldiers on both sides faced off only yards apart in trenches dug into a hillside that until 10 years ago was under the control of remnants of the Khmer Rouge, Pol Pot's guerrilla army.

The area is still littered with landmines, and two Thai soldiers lost legs earlier this month the day after a brief exchange of fire in which soldiers from both sides were wounded.

Cambodian Deputy Defense Minister General Neang Phat said more troops were heading to the area to oppose up to 500 Thai soldiers who had crossed the border.

"We are building up our troops at the border in response to Thailand but I cannot reveal the number," he told reporters.

Hun Sen said 84 Thai soldiers were "camping" on Cambodian soil about 30 meters (yards) away from his own forces.

At the heart of the dispute is 1.8 square miles (4.6 sq km) of scrub near the temple, which the International Court of Justice awarded to Cambodia in 1962, a ruling that has rankled many in Thailand ever since.

This year's flaring of the long-running argument started when protest groups seeking to overthrow the Thai government criticized Bangkok's backing of Cambodia's bid to list Preah Vihear as a U.N. World Heritage site.

(Writing by Ed Cropley; Editing by Darren Schuettler)